When You Find These
by kissmyquiver
Summary: Ward leaves a series of letters for Skye in Vault D. Will the letters change her feelings for him or will they only complicate things? Takes place in after Season 2 Episode 6 "open to interpretation skyward"
1. When You Find These

**Hello! I am in lots of pain after that finale. I probably won't ever recover.**

**This is my first fanfiction for the AOS fandom! I LITERALLY EDITED IT LIKE 3 TIMES BECAUSE I WANT IT TO bE AWESOME! I got the idea for this story from Azuphere's story ****_Open This When._**** So if you happen to like Percy Jackson, I highly recommend it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Remember to leave a review, follow, or favorite.! Your feedback means a lot to me :)**

**Disclaimer: All credit goes to ABC and Marvel :)**

* * *

Cleaning was the least favorite part of Skye's job. Fighting for her life every moment? Why not. Being a fugitive for the last five months? She didn't see a problem with it. But cleaning up after her co-workers? Not so great. One would think that the team would have a hardcore janitorial staff with super cleaning skills by now, but of course the cleaning budget had been limited to four Roombas that circled the hallways. Anything that needed to be done by hand was done by members of the team on a rotation-like schedule. May claimed it was 'character building'.

However, today was no exception to Skye's hatred of cleaning. It was her turn to do something, and that something happened to be cleaning out Vault D. The previous tenant, Grant Ward, had been escorted to his brother's care yesterday afternoon. Now, Director Coulson had asked Skye to clean out the vault. Not that Ward was messy.

On her list today, Skye needed to change the bed sheets and sweep the floor. She had tracked down and kidnapped one of the Roombas beforehand; it could sweep for her. After walking down the cold concrete steps to the ground floor of the vault, Skye set the Roomba down and let it do its thing.

Skye wished she was doing something else. Coulson could have gotten anyone but her. She had things to do. Coulson had her working on his alien code, and when she got frustrated she helped out in the effort to track down Ward, who had escaped custody yesterday afternoon. She finished stripping the bed and took a big breath.

Everything smelled like Ward, and almost annoyingly so. The sheets, the mattress, and the air all reeked of him. Skye didn't know whether to be impressed or disgusted that his musk spread around so easily.

Skye stopped what she was doing and pressed a button on her wristwatch. 65. 66. 68. 65. Her heart rate was slightly elevated. No doubt May was keeping tabs on her and we heartrate. This was definitely a test.

Skye bundled up the sheets into her arms and set them on the floor beside the bed. Coulson told her to flip the mattress while she was at it. Skye figured she could do it sooner rather than later.

Stonefaced, she reached across the bed and pulled it's left side towards her. While pulling it, Skye's fingers slipped underneath the seam. A little too far under. Skye's hand slipped into the mattress and hit a bundle stuck between two springs. She instantly retracted her hand, expecting the worst. Ward could have placed a bomb or something else dangerous. Maybe he was under 24-hour surveillance but Skye wouldn't put it past him.

She pulled out her phone and scanned the area of the mattress using an app that she had developed months ago with the help of FitzSimmons. It was designed to scan a small area for dangerous or potentially explosive materials. The app beeped and the screen glowed green. The area was safe.

Skye cautiously stuck her hand back into the mattress and pulled the package out. Next, she inspected it outside and then the contents. Ten to fifteen letters were tied together using a strip of cloth, probably from a tee-shirt or his sheets. A piece of paper was placed on top of the first letter.

_For Skye_, it said.

She sighed. That cocky bastard. Whatever ploy he had going was pretty much dependent on Skye being desperate enough to go back to his room and find some remnant of him to keep herself going. Ward was depending on Skye still loving him. Joke's on you, Ward, she thought.

Skye smirked. She had found the letters, but it was more dependent on their chore schedule than on her love for him. She shoved the bundle into the sheets and left the vault. Skye decided to leave the Roomba running while she ran the sheets through the wash. Before heading to the laundry room. Skye pulled out a drawer from her desk and shoved the letters behind it. She couldn't bring herself to throw them away, at least not yet.

The drawer wouldn't shut completely, so Skye messed up the rest of the surrounding desk area. Her SO, May, would get her for this later. 200 push-ups was totally worth May not finding out. Thankfully, Skye was prone to messy fits. If she was lucky, May wouldn't even notice.

Skye threw the sheets into the basket that held the rest of her laundry. She grabbed the basket and made her way to the laundry room. After running her load she went back to her room and began to work on a new encryption for the agency's firewalls. Ever since the plane almost went down Skye made it her duty to make sure that their cyber defenses were the best.

About ten minutes into her work, Skye found her mind wandering from her task. The open desk drawer was taunting and distracting her. Exasperated, she grabbed her laptop and moved to the lab.

"Hello Skye," Simmons called. She was holding some kind of hazardous looking material in a test tube. Her hair was down, and the goggles she was wearing made her large, brown eyes look even bigger.

"Hi Simmons," Skye responded. She settled down on a stool and looked up at the scientist. "How is it going?"

"Good," Jemma responded. Quieter, she added, "It would be much better if Fitz was here, but he won't even talk to me. God, I miss him."

Skye nodded knowingly. She said nothing more as Simmons dumped the strange liquid into a beaker of murky blue liquid. It bubbled for a second before slowing to a standstill.

They worked together in silence. Without realizing, Skye stopped programming and began doing background checks on Christian Ward.

"Oh my gosh," Skye gasped. The first link that popped up was a news article. "'Christian Ward's HYDRA Brother Escapes Custody'," she read aloud.

"What? No!" Simmons rushed over beside Skye. "Are you kidding me?" She leaned over Skye and the pair sat in silence, reading the article.

Once Skye finished, she stood up. "I'm going to show this to Coulson. If he doesn't already know, he needs to."

"Good idea," Simmons put her equipment and the weird blue stuff into the fridge. Then she stripped off her gloves, lab coat, and goggles. Skye rushed out of the lab. She had to tell Coulson. Skye remembered her job, and forgot the drawer.

* * *

"Good work today," Director Coulson told her.

Skye was sitting on her bunk, legs crossed. Her laptop was rested against her legs. "Thanks. I was worried earlier, but everything held together."

Coulson smiled a tired smile. "Get some sleep." He started moving away. "Get your desk cleaned up before May sees it."

"Will do."

He left her, closing the door behind him. As soon as he left, Skye scrambled out of bed to lock the door. She quickly cleaned up her desk before pulling out the half opened drawer completely.

She reached the bundle and brought it out on top of the desk. As she untied it, her hands shook. The top of the first letter read 'When you find these'. Skye's breath caught. Her hands trembled as she began to read.

_Skye,_ it began._ I'm glad you decided to read these letters. I know that things have been rough between us, especially lately. I hope to someday rejoin the team by rebuilding the trust between us. It's a long shot, but I'm willing to do anything._ Skye rolled her eyes. Because the team would be so accepting of him after he escaped.

_These letters are going to be a chance for me to explain everything that I always wanted to but couldn't. I just ask you to read them as the situations appear, and not all at once. Unless I'm dead. In that case, do what you want._

_First off, I'm so sorry. For everything. I know that you're angry with me. I was your SO and I let you down. I did everything of my own choice, and I stand by my actions. Ever since Garrett helped me, saved me, I was indebted to him. I followed him blindly, like a dog following his master. Garrett made me the man I am today, which doesn't mean much when you're stuck in a SHIELD prison that Garrett is gone, I can act on my own actions instead of obeying his orders._

_Secondly, I still believe Raina. She's right. Your father is out there, and if you haven't met him yet, I can still take you to him._

_I hope that when this is over, we can be together._ Skye shivered. It was almost sad that he thought they still had a future together. That thought ended once she found out he was HYDRA. _ I love you, and I have never lied to you. Just meet your father and find your destiny. Everything else will fall into place. I promise._

_With love, Grant Ward_

"That answered less than I thought it would," Skye mumbled. She flipped through the remaining letters, being careful to read nothing but the titles. They were all labeled like 'when you see me again' and 'when you meet your father'. Had this been any other day, Skye would have shredded the letters. Unfortunately, her father was involved and any information on him would be priceless.

This was also why Skye wanted to wait until the right circumstances to read each letter. When she needed to read one, she would, just like Ward intended. Skye also decided to create a fail safe. She grabbed her tablet and took pictures of every single letter. She then saved the pictures to an encrypted folder. Once she was done, Skye shook her head. Ward was into some cryptic shit.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading! I am still deciding whether or not to continue this, so if you happened to like this story please let me know in the reviews or by following or favoriting!**

**Have a nice week!**

_**Edited 12/12/14**_


	2. When You Hear From Me

**HOLY CRAP. I AM SO HAPPY! All of your reviews and follows and favorites made me sooooo happy! Thank you guys so much for your kind comments and follows and favorites! I've even written chapters 3 and 4 as well. I will probably go through the winter finale and then stop, unless everyone likes it enough to be continued. So, If you like it, let me know ;) I am going to start trying to update on Tuesdays and Fridays, but I can't promise that everything will be on time.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own marvel.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Skye thought it would be at least a month before she needed to open the next letter. She was wrong. Here Skye was, less than 2 days after finding the letters, needing to open her second one,

It gave her more time to look through them. They hadn't been in any particular order, but they were all meant to be read. Yesterday night Skye came across some free time to type up the first letter. She decided to type every letter and and try to look for a code within it. She just couldn't know with Ward.

Skye opened the letter after he had called her. She was extremely skeptical. It had been a long 2 days and Skye didn't want to give anything away to him, like Lance's current location.

The whole thing was driving Skye crazy on the inside. She had made the transition rather quickly, going from civilian to spy to fugitive. Skye spent her days trying to keep we emotions in check. She wanted so bad to tell Simmons. It had been far too long since they had shared a secret. It was getting easier by the day, but she wasn't May-level yet.

Just today alone, Coulson had hooked himself up to the Theta Brain Wave Memory Machine and found the blueprint to some alien city. Along with that, Ward had captured a HYDRA agent and then proceeded to call her during their debriefing.

Needless to say, it was a surprise. Skye was not expecting contact from him. He hadn't stayed on the phone long enough to trace the call, but everyone knew where he was going next.

She wished she could help. Skye knew he wanted her, and she even offered to be the bait to lure him back to base before he killed his brother, but Coulson veto-ed that automatically. He said they needed her on the search for the city. He was going to say no anyways, but lately he seemed to be babying her more than usual.

Skye thought about maybe telling Coulson about the letters. There was a part of Skye that couldn't bring herself to tell him. Coulson would just go all "papa-bear" on the situation. He'd probably take them away, read each letter, and then ground her for not telling him sooner.

Ward had called her right as they were half-celebrating and half-debriefing. They were celebrating the fact that Coulson had found his city and that he wasn't crazy, while May debriefed the group about Ward. While in Boston they had lost him, but he captured Bakshi for them. The phone started ringing the annoying apple default. At first Skye thought it was her phone, but it wasn't the one ringing. It was Bakshi's phone. The room went silent and Skye picked it up.

"Hail HYDRA," she greeted nervously. Everyone in the room looked at her expectantly.

"Hey Skye," Ward said. Skye caught Coulson's eye and mouthed 'Ward'. He nodded and Skye responded.

"Was that your cue? Where are you?"

He spoke slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. "Just wanted to make sure you got your present. I promised him a face-to-face with Coulson. Probably not exactly what he had in mind," Ward chuckled. His voice was deep and dark. "I'll be sending a few other presents your way now and then."

"Like a cat bringing in dead birds? No thanks." Just imaging it made Skye's stomach flip.

"Just trying to be helpful," he responded. The call ended slowly after, leaving Skye asking more questions. The nerve of him was driving her crazy.

"Who was that?" Mack asked. He sounded like he already knew.

"Ward." Fitz sucked in a breath that everyone could hear. Mack patted his back.

"What did he want?" May crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Skye looked at her. "He wanted to make sure we got Bakshi."

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "He didn't ask you...anything else, right?"

"No. Nothing," Skye paused, "but he did say he was going to send more HYDRA people our way. I suppose that means he'll continue to use his connection to HYDRA to capture or kill officials until someone finds out. That or he's lying to us again while he goes back to HYDRA and rejoins. I hope he retreats into hiding and stays there like the coward he is."

The team stayed quiet.

"Are we done debriefing?" Simmons asked. "I have some samples that are done in about-" she glanced at her watch "-15 seconds."

"Go," he told her. Simmons ran out of the room. "Okay then. Everyone get some rest. We have a long couple of days ahead of us. I want to see your beautiful faces bright and early tomorrow morning." Everyone started heading back to their rooms and probably to the kitchen. It was around 7:30 and no one would go to sleep anytime soon. "Skye, May, my office, ten minutes."

May nodded and followed Coulson out of the room. While everyone dispersed, Simmons flopped down on the couch next to Skye.

"How are you holding up?" Simmons asked. Her hair was pulled back into the tiniest ponytail possible and her blouse was quite wrinkled.

"How did you get back here so fast? What happened to your samples?"

"I took them out. They're currently in the science fridge cooling off."

"Oh okay. I'm fine Jemma, really. Don't worry about me."

"Okay, okay," Simmons shifted her weight. "Ward didn't say anything else, did he?"

Skye gave her a pointed look. "Nothing, I swear."

Simmons began to stand up. "Well, if you need anything, I am always available for a good chat."

"Thanks."

"Yep. You know where to find me." With that, Jemma left the room, leaving Skye on the couch with Fitz and Mack in the corner behind her. They were busy playing some kind of video game, so they wouldn't notice what she was about to do next.

Skye brought up the next letter she needed to read. The title was 'when you hear from me'. Being in the lounge made this scarier. She had no clue if anyone was about to walk in and see what she was reading. Skye glanced up, and then down again.

_Skye,_

_So I guess this means I'm alive, and out of this damn vault. I'm not sure how that will come about, but I suppose it will eventually. If you've heard from me, its because I miss you. I probably called a number I figured you would answer. I could've called anyone Skye, I could've called Coulson. But I didn't. I called you._

_I probably didn't mention the letters. I won't even know if you've found them._

"Skye?" a voice called. Skye flinched in response and quickly shut off the tablet's screen. It was May.

"Yes, the meeting. I'm coming."

May nodded, straight faced. Skye turned her tablet back on and cleared the screen. She then shut it off and stood up to join her SO in Director Coulson's office.

* * *

"So what's this meeting about?" Skye asked as she settled into the chair. She and May were sitting in the two chairs in front of Coulson's desk. It was like 7th grade all over again, and Skye felt like she was in the principal's office.

"May and I are worried about you," Coulson started.

Skye straightened in her chair. "Why?" she asked.

"Ward escaped, and he contacted you. You were also the last person besides Coulson to talk to him. The only person he ever responded to was you." May had joined the conversation. Skye was surprised, as she didn't expect May to join in until later on.

"Really, I'm okay. I can control my emotions quite well with the training you gave me. I'll be fine, don't worry."

Coulson nodded. "We know. You've done really well in your training. You made the transfer really well but-"

May cut him off, "But we need to know that Ward being alive and out there doesn't affect you. If anything happened in the field that gave you the chance to take him out, we want to make sure you could."

Skye held back the impulse to roll her eyes. "I'll be fine, I promise. We have more important things to worry about."

Coulson and May exchanged glances. No doubt they were communicating telepathically. Coulson, however, spoke first. "Okay," he said, "we'll let you off easy this time." Skye cracked a smile. "But at the first change in your behavior or if something Ward-related happens, we'll be talking again. We need you in prime working condition. These next few weeks are going to be rough."

Skye nodded. "Thanks Coulson. I won't let you down." She stood up, leaving May and Coulson sitting at the desk. She stretched. "Remind me to sit in those chairs more often. They're more comfortable than they look."

"Go on standby for orders," Coulson told her.

Tablet in hand, Skye made her way down to the lab. She crashed on the couch in the very back and nodding at Simmons. Simmons was back with her samples, probably running more tests. Skye released a deep breath and reopened the letter.

_If you've heard from me, it's because I miss you,_ yada, yada, yada, Skye settled on a sentence. _I probably didn't mention the letters. I don't even know if you've found them._

Come to think of it, Ward didn't mention the letters. He did mention himself 'leaving presents'. Although he had been referring to Bakshi, It could have been a reference to the letters. Was he still writing them? What was he trying to tell her?

Skye continued reading. _What I do know, is that if you are reading this, then I have a chance to prove myself useful and possibly redeemed._

_If I am outside this vault and you've heard from me, then chances are I'm trying to help. Unless of course, the circumstances have drastically changed. But if that comes about, you'll know._

So he was trying to help?

_What I do to help may seem dramatic or disgusting, but I am trying. From a distance my skill set doesn't allow me to help in a conventional way. I will try to do all I can. Just trust me. Please. I will keep my promise._

Skye changed screens and threw her tablet to the other end of the couch. She couldn't believe Ward. The nerve of him. To assume she still loved him was one thing(they had left that on an awkward note), but to ask her to trust him, after everything he did, was absolutely crazy.

Maybe her feelings were a little unresolved, but she had lost all respect for him once he had revealed himself as a traitor. You can't love someone you don't respect.

After staring at the tablet with a look of disgust for a good minute, Skye decided she had better things to do, and so she grabbed her tablet and walked back to her dorm to grab her laptop.

From there Skye set up shop in the lab, where she ran the newfound blueprint through a system that matched the pattern to different road maps on Earth.

While the system was running, Skye typed up Grant's latest letter and ran it through the algorithm. Nothing happened.

"Skye?" Coulson called. Simmons looked up from her work.

"Yeah?" Skye responded.

"Grab your gear. You, Tripp, Fitz, and I are going on a mission."

She folded her laptop closed and grabbed her tablet, along with a number of notebooks filled with code and other notes. Skye half hugged Simmons on her way out. "Stay safe," she murmured.

"You too," Skye told her, heading for her dorm.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, and like the story so far. Please remember to leave a review, or follow or favorite this story! Have a nice week! **


	3. When You're Curious About Your Father

**Wow! This story has been a wild ride so far! A big thank you to Serenity Shadowstar, NikiD3195(Guest), annavale23, Fluticorns, and StydiaLover for taking the time to review! This story already has more follows than my other fics, and it is so far arguably my most successful. It has over 800 views, and this is only chapter 3! So crazy! More at bottom :)  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

Fitz and Coulson were keeping something from her. Skye could feel it. The way they looked at each other just before the program found a match left Skye wondering what they weren't telling her. What really happened on that mission in Australia? What didn't they want to tell her?

Skye leaned against one of the counters on the bus. They were traveling to San Juan, Puerto Rico to find the underground city. They were traveling as fast as they could, but having made all of the perpetrations beforehand left Skye stuck on the Bus for four hours.

That gave Skye four hours to bug someone into telling her what happened on the mission. The plane had just taken off, and she found herself still leaning on the interactive counter, staring at the screen on the wall in front of her. Who should she interrogate first?

Skye decided to ask Tripp first. His wounds had just been redressed by Simmons, and he was currently seated in one of the comfy chairs around the corner. Skye took a deep breath and then walked around the corner to Tripp.

"How are you holding up?" She asked, sitting down across from him.

He sighed and gestured to his wounds. "I'm alive, which is good. I'll probably be on bus duty for the next month though. Simmons said I lost a lot of blood."

Skye cringed. "Yeah. Someone severed your brachial artery. Speaking of," Skye moved closer to him, "did you happen to see whoever nursed you in the field?"

Tripp's eyes clouded over. "Coulson told me it was a doctor. Maybe the doctor. I don't remember."

Skye nodded. "Yeah with my luck I'll get stuck on the Bus too. I don't think Coulson wants me near the city."

Tripp's eyes lit up. Skye supposed he hoped they stayed together. "I guess we'll find out when we get there."

Skye checked her watch. "Yeah, three and a half hours from now."

Tripp laughed and stood up. Skye eyed him because she was worried he would fall over. "I'm gonna go take a nap," he told her.

Skye stood up too. "Cool. Do you know where Coulson is?"

"I'd check the cockpit and his office," Tripp suggested.

"Thanks." Skye headed down the hall to where Coulson's office was. She knocked.

"Come in," Coulson called from inside. Skye opened the door and closed it behind her. Coulson was looking at maps of the city and of Puerto Rico on his interactive desk. He was probably deciding on an entrance point and some sort of strategy.

Coulson looked up from his maps. "What do you need?" Skye stood in front of his desk, her arms crossed.

"I need you to be straight with me." Coulson said nothing. "You've been withholding information from me. I know it's your job to keep secrets, but you know something and Fitz knows something that you aren't telling me."

Coulson nodded his head slightly. "You're right," he told her, "I am keeping something from you. I will tell you, but only because I was going to tell you anyways." He gestured to the seat in front of his desk. Skye sat.

"We met your father on the mission. He was the one that pulled the bullet out of Tripp, but he also happened to be the one who sniped his biracial artery."

Skye was quiet. Her heart rate was probably way above 60 beats per minute.

"He's a mad man, Skye. I'm sorry, but I want you to travel to Vancouver with May, Tripp, and the Koenigs. You five will be responsible for getting Raina. I can't have you in the city. It's too dangerous. I need you safe."

Skye sighed. She knew there was no arguing with him when he had his heart set on her safety.

"If I have it my way, you won't meet your father until this is all over, and we can find a controlled setting."

Skye stayed quiet and then stood up. "Thank you for telling me." She thanked him as she left.

"Thanks for finding the city," he responded, going back to his maps.

She closed the door behind her and made her way down to the lab. Skye was done prying Coulson about her dad. Fitz, however, might be able to elaborate on the phrase 'mad man'.

"Hey Fitz," Skye said as she took a seat across from him.

He looked up from his tinkering. "Oh-Skye, hi."

She looked at him. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Fitz told her. Skye could've sworn he glanced almost behind him to look at Simmons as he said it. As far as Skye knew, Fitz and Simmons hadn't talked in over a week. They had to have been missing each other by now, but of course, neither of them were talking. It was driving Mack crazy.

"So," Skye paused, searching for the words, "what was my dad like?" It was blunt, but Skye figured it was the best way to ask. There was literally no way for her to segway into it.

Fitz's eyes widened, and to the right behind him Skye watched Simmons stop moving. He set down what he was working on and began to search for answers.

"He was a godsend at first, and then he, um he snipped Tripp's brachial artery and he got into a fight with Coulson."

"What were they fighting about?" Skye asked.

"You."

"No surprise there," Skye mumbled. It must have been a battle of the Dads. "Thanks Fitz." Skye stood up and walked around to Fitz's side of the countertop. She put one hand on his shoulder. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me, okay?"

He nodded and Skye left, returning to her bunk. According to her watch, they had two and a half hours left before they landed.

Skye collapsed on her bed. It hadn't changed much since the months before the HYDRA invasion and the team's new home, the Playground. The ceiling above her bed was covered in pictures. Some of them were from her old life, pictures from the Van and a few from her childhood, while the rest were essentially group pictures and selfies. There were tons of her and FitzSimmons and three or four with her and Tripp. One of the pictures was more painful than all the others. It was a selfie of her and Ward. Skye had tried for a solid month to sneak selfies with him. Of course, using his super spy skills, he managed to either evade the picture or catch Skye in the act.

Until, finally, he allowed her one picture with him. The picture itself wasn't a painful memory for Skye. It was when the picture was taken that really got her. It was the night before she found out he was HYDRA.

She stayed silent for a minute and then pulled out her tablet. She needed something to take her mind off of him. As soon as Skye opened up her tablet, it hit her. There was a letter for this situation, and she was about to read it.

_Skye,_

_There are 3 things I haven't told you about your father._

_He's a doctor._

_He knows about your destiny._

_He loves you very much._

_If I'm right, and you're reading these, then you will meet him very soon._

Skye set her tablet down on the bed, but still held it in her palm. If Grant thought that these letters would somehow make her change her mind about him, then the was wrong, so wrong.

_To find out the rest, you're gonna have to come find me._

Skye face-palmed herself. She had read the last sentence in Ward's voice. Reaching up, Skye grabbed the one picture she had with Ward and tore it off the ceiling. She crumpled it up into a ball and threw it into the garbage. Skye couldn't afford to think like this. I need to be more like May, she thought. Cool and in control. Cool and in control.

Very cooly, Skye typed up the letter and ran it through the algorithm with the rest of the letters. Once again, with no avail. She was done wit Ward. At least for today.

Skye's phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Coulson. He wanted her help before the debriefed. She looked at her tablet and then set in on her bed. Skye stood up and left the room, closing the door behind her. If these letters were some sort of Jedi mind trick, Skye was determined to win.

* * *

**This chapter was kind of disappointing, I know. The next chapter, however... oh man, did I have fun writing it.**

**So, it has been brought to my attention that this story is very similar to _Letters _by Lightningtiger2. I can assure you that any similarities to that story are pretty coincidental. The stories should be nothing alike, even if they have pretty similar concepts. Also, I am trying to keep this story along the lines of the last few episodes of the season. I can't promise you that it will be perfect, but it will be good :)**

**Thank you guys so much for the support so far! This swim season has really taken a lot out of me and I'm not always in the mood for writing. I really appreciate every follow, favorite, and review! Also, if you happen to see a mistake in the text, please don't be afraid to let me know!  
**

**Please review and have a nice week! **


	4. When You're Mad At Me

**Happy Friday! I'm so happy this week is ooooovvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrrr, and so will this story be too. I can end the story right at a chapter 5 or 6, but I'm not sure if I'll have enough ideas to continue :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

Skye had a long day. She had flown from San Juan to Vancouver, fought with Agent 33, and received a call from an audibly distressed Jemma Simmons. Needless to say, Skye was in a bad mood, and it was all Ward's fault.

At one point her mind tried to convince her that she was overreacting, but thinking back to everything, she really wasn't. Skye thought back to her first days with the team. Everything they had done so far led them to where they were now. Every choice every member of the original team made, good and bad, created this future. And there was no one she blamed more than Ward.

"Skye," Simmons said. Her voice was strained, like she had been crying.

"What's wrong?" Skye asked. She was on the Bus with May and the others flying back to San Juan. They had Raina safe and sound, but now that the mission was over and it was time for a nap. The fight with Agent 33 had taken a lot out of her.

"Its Fitz. I tried to talk to him, and tell him why I left, but he wouldn't listen to me. Instead he told me he could work for me, but not with me. I don't know what we're going to do! We're about to go into the tunnels, but I'm afraid we'll ruin the mission, and put everyone's lives in danger, and-" Simmons rambled on. "We need to be at our best right now, but if not for Mack, he would probably refuse to be in the same room as me."

"I'm sure it'll be fine. Just play nice and show him that you're willing to work with him," Skye told her. "He might just be skeptical. He doesn't know if he could trust you anymore. After Ward's betrayal his protection was gone, so he turned to you, and you weren't there." Skye paused. "Maybe he thinks you left because you couldn't stand to be around him. Give him a reason to trust you. I think he wants to."

Simmons stayed quiet. "Oh God, I'm sorry Skye. Thank you, but I have to go. Stay safe. I'll call you once we get out of the tunnels."

"Okay Jemma. You stay safe too. Don't die down there."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Skye sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She was pretty sure that there was a letter to describe what she was feeling towards Ward right about now, called 'when you're pissed' maybe, but Skye didn't want to read it.

She was angry, and upset. One wouldn't be able to tell Skye was mad on the outside, but on the inside she felt as if her blood was boiling. At the same time, Skye was curious. The letter was intended to be read when she was extra pissed, so maybe it would finally explain something and make her feel better.

Or maybe not. The last letter she read was definitely a disappointment, probably because she had probed Ward for everything he knew about her father after that letter was written.

Either way, Skye's curiosity was getting the best of her. She pulled out her tablet and began to read once more.

_Skye,_ it always began the same way, and given her current state of emotion, it was starting to annoy her. She knew the letters were for her and she didn't need reminded.

_This is the only letter I want you to share, if you decide to share it at all. It explains me actions, with no excuses and no bullshit. I know you're way more angry at me than usual, which is why you're reading this._

So much for no bullshit. Skye was already having mixed feelings and she had only read the first couple of sentences.

_First off, I apologize. Everything I did was of my own free will. I was loyal to Garrett and I followed him blindly. My actions can't be justified. They were cruel. I take responsibility for my mistakes. I messed up, but a part of me tried to slow the blow for everyone._

Skye rolled her eyes. Why not slow the blow by completely betraying the team?

_I tried to buy you time by convincing Garrett that you were worth sparing. I almost had to kill you more than once Skye, but I couldn't because I love you. Garrett knew that, or at least suspected it, and decided I could spare you if I could convince you to join us. Obviously that didn't happen._

_Fitz and Simmons. I tried to help them too._

Skye considered stopping, but didn't and kept going.

_Honestly, I did. Garrett wanted them dead, with proof. The least I could do was give them a fighting chance rather than executing them in front of each other. I couldn't kill the team. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I had killed any of the people who gave me a home and a family._

_The container that I locked FitzSimmons in was supposed to float, then a rescue crew could have picked them out if the ocean, safe and sound. Of course, that didn't happen either._

_Someday I hope they'll forgive me. Skye chuckled and shook her head. As if. I haven't seen Simmons yet, but earlier today I saw Fitz. He was pretty angry. He took away the oxygen from my cell for a good three minutes. I deserved more than that. He should have killed me._

Skye's eyes widened in surprise. No one had thought to tell her Fitz had visited Ward. I saw Fitz's condition for the first time, and I feel awful.

She stopped reading for a second and thought about the emotions she was feeling. Should she be sympathetic? Probably not. Maybe she should lay off the anger for a while. Of course, Ward could be completely lying to her. Trying to get on her on his side was probably a part of his plan to...do something. Skye didn't know. She honestly didn't know what to think.

_And May, she'll be alright. She might always be mad at me, but I think she'll be fine._

_I can only hope to someday make amends with everyone. Maybe sometime soon you will realize that we are more alike than you would like to admit. The team forgave you for betraying us for your old friend Miles. Maybe what I did was worse, but I like to think that I can still be forgiven for betraying the team for my father figure Garrett._

Skye was seeing red. How dare he act like they were so similar? They were different. Their pasts were different, their backgrounds were different, and their personalities were different. The list of differences went on and on. The situations had been different. They were not the same. Skye was not a killer.

_But maybe not_, the letter said. At this point, _I can only hope that you can one day, forgive me._

She had finished the note, so Skye shut off her tablet and set it in the counter. She put her elbows on the table and leaned out on top of them. Her face was in her hands.

The letters were supposed to help her better understand Ward, but instead they were having the opposite effect. Skye was confused, sure, but she also knew that the letters were also supposed to help her make up her mind about Ward. And now, she had.

For some people, anger blurred their emotions and made them unreliable and unpredictable. Not Skye. Not anymore. Her thinking was crystal clear and she had made up her mind.

It was better for her, and for Ward, to not see each other to be with each other or think about each other ever again. He was dead to her.

God, she hoped they never crossed paths.

* * *

Honestly, Skye was so done with hearing about her father, and her family, and her 'special gifts'. She couldn't wait until this was all over. Her, Fitz, Simmons, Coulson, May, Mack, Lance, Tripp, and Bobbi could all go back to their semi-normal lives back at the Playground. Ward could stay missing, Fitz and Simmons could be FitzSimmons again, and the entire team could relax a little more.

Right now, Raina wasn't helping. May asked Skye to talk to her and see what she could find out about the obelisk. Of course, the conversation quickly shifted from the Kree to her father. At first Raina was confiding in Skye, probably trying to build up her trust. Now, Raina was sprouting some bullshit about the temple and her father and how it was 'all connected'.

Skye was getting real sick of those words.

"If the unworthy enter the temple," Raina continued, snapping Skye out of her angry daze, "they might die."

"Wait what did you say?" Skye asked, leaning forward. They were sitting on the chairs in the lounge part of the plane.

"I said, if the unworthy enter the temple, they will die."

Skye's eyes widened. Coulson and the others were probably entering the temple right then. Before she could say anything, Raina stood up. May, Tripp, and the Keonig brothers came into the room with their weapons drawn. Skye stood up and drew hers too.

"We're being boarded," May told her.

"By who?" Skye asked.

May responded. "HYDRA."

Before anything else could be said, Grant Ward descended the spiral staircase and stepped foot on the bus. Skye shuddered. He hadn't been on the plane since his betrayal.

* * *

**DUNDUNDUN! Not much of a cliff hanger if you saw the last few episodes, lol.**

**This chapter was sooooo much fun to write! I am going to try really hard to finish chapter 5 and 6 this weekend! **

**Thank you so much for reading! Please remember to leave a review, or follow, or favorite. The feedback motivates me(otherwise I'm a pretty lazy writer)!**

**Please review and have a nice week! **


	5. When We Meet Again

**Yay! An update! I'm so happy! Break started today, and I don't have swim practice today! This means that for the first time in like a month, I CAN SLEEP IN PAST 5:30! **

**A big thanks to annavale23, Tish(guest), reecse42, and cdixon1810 for their awesome reviews! Please review, and follow, and favorite!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Marvel**

* * *

"How the hell did they find us?" Tripp half yelled from across the plane. As much as Skye wanted an answer, no one responded. "We're cloaked!"

The group of agents quickly surrounded the spiral staircase in the center of the room. "Raina's tracker," Ward told them, descending from the ceiling. "Old frequency SHIELD used during the Cold War." Ward stopped at the bottom of the stairs. "What can I say," he smiled, "I'm a history buff."

Skye's finger squeezed around the trigger. Ward was unarmed and alone.

"Don't try anything," he told them, "or they'll shoot you out of the sky. Raina, come with me."

"Pick a side, Ward." Skye was getting tired of his shit. Was he with HYDRA or SHIELD?

"I already have," he responded. Seeing him again was so weird. Skye had not seen this coming at all. "You know what? Why don't you come with me Skye?"

Raina laughed and added, "And bring that nice little tablet of yours. You know, with the temple coordinates."

Skye held her breath in and exchanged looks with May. She obviously didn't like Skye leaving. "I'm going," Skye told her. Their guns were still pointed at Ward.

"No you're not. We need you here and alive."

"If I don't go, they'll shoot the plane out of the sky. We lose less if I go. I'll be fine." Skye glanced at Ward.

May nodded slowly, getting what Skye was trying to say. Ward wouldn't let them touch her. "Coulson is going to kill me," May mumbled. She grabbed Skye's gun from her, aiming them both at Ward.

Skye grabbed her tablet off the counter. "All ready?" Ward asked. Skye nodded and held the power button on her tablet for a solid twenty seconds. Holding the button for more than ten seconds triggered an encryption that only she could hack back into. They wouldn't get those coordinates without her.

With one last look back at May, Skye left, following Ward and Raina out of the Bus and into the HYDRA plane.

The plane's small interior led Skye to believe that they were in a Quinjet. They weren't cloaked, and they stayed close to the Bus. Once Skye and Raina were safely inside, the Quinjet pulled away from the bus and re-cloaked.

Ward sat Skye down in one of the planes seats. She was unarmed with no way of escape so Ward left her hands untied. He accepted his weapons back from a HYDRA soldier and then sat down next to Skye. He gave Raina a look, and she went to the cockpit and sat next to the pilot.

"So how've you been?" Ward asked. His hands were clasped in front of him. He leaned forward and turned towards Skye. His elbows were on his knees.

Skye glares at him, her tablet in her lap. "What do you want?"

"I want to know how you're doing."

"Well my day was going great until a psychopath hijacked my plane and kidnapped me."

He faced forward and looked down. A shadow of sorts covered his face. "I'm here to help you. That's all I want to do Skye."

She looked down at the tablet in her hands. She wanted to trust him, but she couldn't. The second she let her guard down was the second she betrayed the team.

Ward's phone rang.

"Yeah," he answered. "Done and done. You'll have it within the minute." Ward hung up. "He needs the coordinates to the temple."

"He as in Whitehall?"

"Yeah."

Skye set her jaw. There was no prolonging it. If she didn't agree,

they could still shoot down the bus, killing everyone inside. She opened her tablet and began to decrypt it.

"Why can't I see what you're doing?" Ward asked. He was peering over her shoulder, his face dangerously close to hers.

"It's the screen protector I have on it. When you look at it from the side it appears as if the screen is dark. When you look at it straight on, you can see it." She flashed the screen at him. It was covered in little green letters. Ward nodded. "This plane has no network, so you're gonna have to text the coordinates to Whitehall or something." She showed him the coordinates and returned to her tablet. Skye brought up another letter. Reading it with Ward right beside her was risky. She would rely on her screen protector.

_Skye,_

_I can't imagine how hard it must be for you to see me again. For all I know, you could've killed me by now. I hope you've read most of my letters by now, or else my time with you will be extremely one-sided. I hope I'm next to you when you read this._

_I hope that the atmosphere when we meet again is hopeful. I hope it goes okay. I hope I kept my promise to you and took you to your father. I hope that you found me, or that I found you under good terms. I hope that we can talk, and I hope that the letters had their intended effect._

_Most of all, I hope that we can reconcile._

_I love you, and I can't stand to know that I hurt you the way I did. It won't happen again, I can promise you that. My alliances my seem confusing, but I can tell you one thing._

_I'm not loyal to SHIELD._

_I'm not loyal to HYDRA._

_I'm not loyal to Garrett._

_I'm loyal to you._

_So please, when we meet again, give me a chance._

The letter was finished, and Ward stayed quiet beside her. He gave no indication of whether he knew she read the letter or not. No doubt he was deep in last months had been a whirlwind and Skye couldn't believe it had led them here.

Why did Ward get himself involved again? He escaped Christian's custody, and then he killed him. Why did he come back? Ward could have left SHIELD and HYDRA and created a life with a new identity. He could have gone anywhere and been anyone. He had been freed from this world, but he chose to come back.

"Why did you come back?" Skye asked. She held down the power button on her tablet and re-encrypted it. She turned towards Ward, her brown eyes searching his for answers.

Ward looked up at her. "This is the best life I've ever known. My skill set isn't great, but I couldn't turn my back on something that has been apart of me for so long. I've done so much in my life wrong. The least I can do is try to pick up the pieces."

Skye raised her eyebrows. "By rejoining HYDRA?"

Ward leaned into Skye, his lips near her ear. He put his hand on her knee. "I'm not loyal to HYDRA," he said quietly, "I'm loyal to you."

Skye's breath caught and she tried her hardest not to let Ward know. He was quoting the letter and looking for her reaction. As he pulled back, his hand stayed on her knee almost possessively. Skye crossed her legs to get his hands off of her.

She shivered and they sat in silence. Raina came back from the cockpit after what seemed like an eternity. "We'll be landing in fifteen. You better bind her so she doesn't run."

Ward sighed and grabbed Skye's tablet from her. Skye stayed seated and kept her hands in her lap. Ward handed the tablet to a nearby guard in exchange for a ziptie. He kneeled down in front of her and grabbed her hands from her lap.

"Maybe someday I'll be kneeling to you under better terms," he whispered. Ward put her hands together and zip tied them. He kissed the back of her hands and set them back in her lap.

"Oh screw off," she told him. He smile at her, not at all surprised at the outburst. Ward returned to his seat beside her and chuckled. "So how are things at the office?"

Skye rolled her eyes. Fifteen minutes couldn't come fast enough.

* * *

So meeting her dad went less than stellar. She was curious to find out where she came from, but the way it happened disappointed her. Ward kidnapped her. Again.

They should have shot him while they had the chance.

But they didn't, so here Skye was, tied to a chair across the room from her obsessive ex-SO. Her dad, a moment ago had killed a guard and left, leaving Skye and Ward alone. Ward fell on the ground with his chair and grabbed a knife from the dead guard. When he finished freeing himself, Ward freed her. She glared at him and rubbed her wrists.

"I'm sorry your little family reunion didn't go as planned." Ward stood up. "The least I could do is you get out of here. Sit down while I check the door." Skye stood up and followed him. Her every sense was on alert. Her father was going after Whitehall, and so was Coulson. She needed to get to them, but she knew Ward wouldn't let her go. The bastard.

Red flags were everywhere. Did Ward want her to run off with him? God forbid Skye take care of herself for a change. There was no way she was running off with Ward. No. Way. In. Hell. She needed to lose him, and fast.

Ward had his back turned to her, facing the exit. The dead guard still had a gun on him. Grant began to turn around, but before even Skye registered what was happening, she grabbed the gun and fired three shots into Ward's chest. Everything she had read in the letters had lead her here.

He slumped to the ground in shock. She had just shot him. "Never turn your back on the enemy. You taught me that."

Ward looked up at Skye, his eyes wide. The wound in Grant's side was bleeding and Skye could see the blood soaking his shirt. She stepped over his body and as she did he touched her knee.

"Why?" he croaked.

Skye looked down at her ex-SO. "I read your letters," she told him coldly. His face paled and Skye jogged away. She couldn't think about Ward right now. She needed to find Coulson, Whitehall, or her dad while simultaneously getting the rest of the team out of the temple.

Gun in hand, Skye put on a brave face and tried her best to ignore the tears prickling at the back of her eyes._ Save your tears for the pillow_, she thought.

* * *

One would think that being shot by the love of your life would discourage you from trying anything else. Unfortunately, being shot and left for dead wasn't something that phased Grant Ward.

Healing gave him time to think. Skye had changed a lot. She was stronger, tougher, and colder. May had been teaching her well. Skye was still the same at heart. Ward could tell.

At first, he had been shocked, and in the moment, devastated that she had tried to kill him. He was on her side, and she almost killed him.

After getting the medical attention he needed, Ward found himself in a small motel on the outskirts of San Juan. He was no longer mad and no longer discouraged.

He would see Skye again. He was sure of it.

* * *

**Longest chapter EVERRRRR! I really hope that you guys liked it! and if you did, please, pleASE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! This story will be ending(or going on hiatus) after the next chapter. I don't want to continue past the mid-season finale unless there's some kind of demand for it. Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope you have a nice holiday and a great week! :)**


	6. When This is Over

**Sorry for this being late! My next updates probably wont be on time either...I am continuing this story, but I need a couple of days to really think about where I want to take it next. I HOPE YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!**

**PLEASE READ THE BOTTOM. C'EST TRES IMPORTANT!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own squat**

* * *

The world was ending. Skye's world was ending. Pieces of her tar-like cocoon lie around her in the dusty brown dirt. The temple was shaking, and something in Skye's stomach told her it was her fault, and she knew it was right.  
She had wanted to know about her parents, so she went to SHIELD. Upon joining the team, she fell in love with her SO, Grant Ward, who turned out to be HYDRA. HYDRA in turn, introduced Ward to her father, who introduced her father to Skye. When she thought it was over, her father gave her the obelisk.  
Dammit. All around her the lines were blurring. The black and white had already begun to mix, and soon Skye would only see shades of gray. To her left, Tripp, or what was left of him, laid on the ground, crumbling. To her right was Raina, slowly but surely breaking out of her cocoon.  
The reality of the situation hit her and Skye fell to her knees in anguish. The temple shook harder and dust fell from the ceiling. Tripp was dead, her father was gone, and she had killed Ward.  
The tears came now, pouring slowly down her face and into her mouth. Skye was trying to hold it together like she was trained to do, but she couldn't. Skye couldn't believe it. In less than 2 hours, tens of people had lost their lives from both sides. This whole thing was Skye's fault.  
The tears began to blur Skye's vision and clog her throat, making it almost impossible to breathe and see. This make Skye cry harder and the temple shake even more.  
Through her tears, Skye saw Raina break out of her encasing. Skye wiped her tears, but before her vision returned the door to the temple opened up. Raina, or something that was her, hissed and fled the room. Skye stood up and tried to run after her, the ground shaking with each of her footsteps.  
Coulson and Mack ran up to her from the outside, tripping. Skye had collapsed and around them the temple began to crumble. Mack picked up Skye and the trio crawled into a corner.  
Mack set Skye down in between him and Coulson. Coulson wrapped his arms around a bawling Skye.  
"Hey, hey, hey, hey," he said, pulling her into an awkward hug. "It's gonna be alright, we're gonna get out of this."  
Skye cried harder. All of the pressure from the last few weeks had been building up, and tonight she had finally broke.  
Coulson and Mack moved closer to each other, making a Skye sandwich. Coulson continued to hold her and the temple continued to shake.  
"It's gonna be okay. Don't worry."  
After a minute, Skye started gaining control of her emotions again. Her throat hurt, her eyes were puffy, and her head was pounding, but she managed to speak.  
"Tripp is dead," she told Coulson as she slowly freed herself from his death grip. The earth's shudders had slowed down and began to stop. Skye wiped her tears and stood up.  
"Let's get out of here."  
"Good idea," Mack said. He helped Coulson up.  
"We need to find the others." Coulson went into full director mode.  
"Sounds like a plan. We just might not be able to get out the way we came. I might have destroys the tunnel."  
"Skye, this isn't your fault," Coulson told her. "You're a victim, and nothing that happened today was your fault."  
The three of them began their trek through the temple. Skye looked down at the ground. "No, the earthquake was my fault. Remember when my dad talked about my so-called destiny?"  
They took a left, followed by a right. The tunnel was dark with the exception of the two lanterns held by Skye and Mack. "Well," Skye choked and the ground shook, "I'm pretty sure the obelisk gave me the power to control earthquakes."  
Coulson mentally face-palmed. It made so much sense. The earthquake probably began around the time of Tripp's death. It must've triggered Skye's emotions and thus her powers.  
"It sounds crazy, I know. I have a feeling they will be emotion based until I learn to control my powers, and then I will be more stable." Skye's head hung low, and she looked like she wanted to cry again.  
"No, I believe you. We didn't know what happened to you when you went in, so it makes sense that there are some variables coming out. The obelisk was alien, so it's a wonder it didn't change your appearance," Coulson told her.  
"It changed Raina's."  
They walked in silence.  
"She could still be down here," Mack realized.  
_I hope she never finds her way out,_ Skye thought, _she caused us all too much trouble._ The earth trembled a little, sensing Skye's malice.

They all fell silent again, each surrounded by their own thoughts. After what seemed like hours, the tunnel in front of them opened up into a room.

"Phil? Skye? Tripp?" It was May. Her voice sounded hoarse from yelling.

"May!" Skye screamed. She jumped up and down happily. Each time she landed the ground underneath them shook, sending Coulson and Mack sprawling to the floor.

"Skye?" Mack asked.

"Oh, sorry." She couldn't really help it. May was there! They could get out!

"Can you hear me?" May yelled from somewhere above.

"Yes," Coulson responded. "Where are you?"

"Above you." Skye resisted the urge to roll her eyes. That woman knew everything. "Turn off your lights and you might see ours."

Mack and Skye turned off their lanterns. Once the room was black, Skye felt a hand grab hers. She jumped and the room shook.

"Its just me, Skye." Coulson.

From the center of the room came a small light. It was yellow and soft, coming from a hole in the ceiling. Mack turned his lantern back on, re-illuminating the trio ran to where the light had been. They peered upwards, unable to see May.

"We found you."

"How many are with you Director?"

"Two. Skye and Mack."

There was silence. "And Tripp?"

"Dead."More silence followed.

"We're sending down harnesses now."

* * *

"Wheels up in five," May told the group over the intercom. They had spent a second day in San Juan, cleaning up the mess HYDRA made. With Whitehall dead and Agent 33 gone, there wasn't really any other high ranked HYDRA agents in the area to take care of the mansion. This gave the team the perfect opportunity to raid the mansion for information. At this point, anything they could find would help.

Of course, the building was undeniably clean. They had gained some new information, like the names of some of the officials above and below Whitehall and some of the names of HYDRA's suppliers. Skye's favorite thing the team brought back was her tablet.

When the recovery team found it, her tablet was hooked up to several wires. Skye was worried that HYDRA had broken through her encryption, but her tablet was still locked. Coulson had sent Skye and Fitz to find HYDRA computers and wipe them. Skye took what she could from their servers, but it wasn't much. Disappointed, she had wiped their computers and moved on. If she couldn't have HYDRA's information, neither could they.

Skye held her tablet to her chest. Simmons walked past her quickly, securing any last equipment to the Bus floor. Skye felt as if the team was avoiding her. After getting out of the temple, Coulson debriefed the group. Everyone now knew about her powers, Tripp's death, and Raina being missing. Skye had yet to tell them about Ward.

Ward.

She hadn't thought about him for a good twelve hours. Skye wanted to think that he was dead, but there was a part of her that refused to believe he was dead. Had she killed him, Skye would have felt differently.

Unsure, Skye slipped out of the cargo hold and into the lounge. She opened her tablet and looked through the remaining letters. There were a couple she knew she couldn't read yet, but there was one she thought applied.

Skye,

If you're reading this, it's all over. I kept my promise to you, you've met your father, and you've discovered your destiny. I hope you finally understand my actions and I more. I hope I'm back on the team, and things are better. I hope we're a family again.

Sitting in this cell, alone, gives me a lot of time to think. I used to think about how I'd make this all up to you, or how I'd someday escape. I'm done thinking about that, and I've started thinking about my life, our future, after this is over.

I have so many hopes and dreams. Some are for you, some are for myself, and some are for us. I want to get to know you and I want to open up to you. I think about my future, our future, so much that it hurts. The life we could have together...God, I hope someday...

I hope that this is all actually over and not just the calm before the storm.

Skye stopped what she was reading. The plane was in the air by now, and Skye was sure that Coulson was in his office. She tore down the hall, tablet in hand, to Coulson's office. She stopped just shy of the door and knocked three times.

"Come in."

Skye opened the door and shut it softly behind her. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "I haven't been completely straight with you."

Coulson's eyebrows furrowed in response.

"When you had me clean Vault D right after Ward transferred custody, I found these letters. They were all about me, and him, and his motives. When I saw him on the Bus and at the mansion in San Juan, I felt confused. And then he freed me, and acted like he was on my side.

But when he did free me, there was a gun, and I took it," Skye paused. "I shot Ward, three times in the chest, and left him there to die.

"So here I am, reading the last of the letters and I realized that if Ward were dead, I would know. You would have found his body," Skye paused again, unsure. "You didn't find his body, did you?"

Coulson's eyes widened. He looked overwhelmed. "No. We didn't find bodies of anyone except for the HYDRA guards that had been there. Thank you for telling me about the letters. It must have been a hard decision to make. Next time though, please tell May or I if something like this happens."

Skye nodded solemnly. She passed him her tablet. "All the letters are on here." Skye stayed quiet for a second. "Did I do the right thing?" she asked. "I feel like everyone wanted me to shoot him. You know, for betraying the organization, hurting FitzSimmons, and killing all of those people. But thinking back on it, I'm just not sure."

Coulson set the tablet aside and looked right at Skye. "Right now," he started, "I'm glad you shot him. Maybe after I read these letters, my opinion of him will change, but probably not. Right now, I think you did the right thing, but I want to continue this conversation after I have read them."

Skye exhaled, the weight of the world lifting off her shoulders. She stood up and began to exit. "I haven't read them all yet." Before shutting the door behind her, she added, "Thank you sir." Skye left for the lab. She needed a distraction.

* * *

Grant Ward was trapped. Not literally, but kind of. He was stuck between two sleeping civilians on the red-eye flight from San Juan to New York City. One was snoring loudly, while the other, a woman, had accidentally lowered her head onto his shoulder. He wiggled forward in his seat, dropping the table attached to the seat in front of him downward. It practically rested on his knees. Ward winced, the pain in his side flaring up again. He leaned forward again and reached for his bag on the floor in front of him. Ward pulled a writing tablet and a pen out. According to his watch, they had another three hours to go.

Ward set his pen to the paper and wrote Skye's name like he always had. This would never be over.

* * *

**This is officially the longest chapter so far! This story is 19 pages on Google docs, and it has the most follows of any one of my stories so far!**

** Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I am going to take a 1-2 week hiatus so I can decide what I want to do next with this story. I appreciate all of the reviews and follows and favorites so much! ****A big thanks to annavale23, Tish(guest), Guest, AOSshipper, and reecse42 for reviewing! Also big thanks to NothatRose(guest) for their review! IT was super long and sweet and encouraging and I just really love it, so thank you all!**

**Please leave a review, and follow, and favorite :) I'll be back soon, so don't worry!**

**Finally, if you have a tumblr or are in the Supernatural fandom, then you probably know about the anonymous hate that has been going around. I'm not in the SPN fandom, but I really hate that this is happening. If you are a victim of anon hate or you just want to talk, please know that you can always PM me or message me/send me an ask on my tumblr(linked in my bio). Please know that whatever you're going through, it will get better. You are worth everything, please don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Stay Strong.**

**Suicide Hotline - 1(800)784-8433**

**Depression Hotline - 1(630)482-9696**

**Have a great week!**


	7. What Goes Up

**Opps I took off a little more than a week, sorry. At least I'm back now :) more on why at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own marvel**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Skye got her tablet back a day later. Coulson, her, and May meet in Coulson's office at the Playground. It started off as a lecture, slowly evolving into a discussion about the future of Skye, HYDRA, and of course, Grant Ward.

"Next time something like this happens, you need to tell us right away Skye. These types of things don't happen to normal people, okay? If we weren't a fugitive organization, it would be my legal responsibility as head of the company to protect employees from things like this. Of course, the only thing I want to do is protect everyone, but it's hard to protect field agents. This level material is compromising, and if you're compromised then we can't have you in the field."

Skye gave Coulson a look. "Normal people? We aren't normal people. I won't ever be normal."

May's gaze on her intensified. "What Coulson is trying to say Skye, is that for our standards of normal, this isn't normal."

"Anyways," Coulson continued, "I've made a decision about Ward."

Skye sat up straighter in her chair. She was still confused about him. While in captivity, Ward promised Skye full cooperation, with no lies. Did that mean that he was completely honest the whole time? Skye wasn't sure. Ward was a master manipulator, and his words were designed to bend her to his will.

"Don't get excited. I've decided to not decide. He's still alive, he's still out there. He can lay low for a while and maybe if he plays his cards right, we won't kill him the next time we find him. His chances of joining the team again, however, are slim."

May added, "If he knows what's good for him, he'll stay out of our way."

"If I ever see him again, it might be too soon." Even as Skye said the words she wasn't sure she believed herself.

Coulson nodded. "In the mean time, all of the mail addressed to you will be filtered through me. You shot him, and he's probably bitter and angry. He could send you something dangerous in an envelope, like anthrax or the bubonic plague. We don't know if he's pissed, or still begging for your favor and forgiveness."

May passed Skye her tablet. "If anything seems off, you tell us, okay?"

Skye nodded. "Yes m'am."

"Okay, so we are going to wait him out, and see what he does next." Skye stood up from her chair and began to move towards the door. "Oh and Skye?" He was always doing this to her-holding her over-and it drove her crazy.

She turned around and leaned on the door frame, her tablet at her side. "Yes?"

"Promise us you won't go looking for him. He's a trained killer and spy. Even if it's over the internet, or through surveillance feeds, he will see you coming. When Ward doesn't want to be found, he's pretty good at hiding. Skye's eyes drifted to the corner of the office. There went her plans for the next three hours.

"Oh, and change into workout gear and meet me in the gym. Ten minutes," May told her.

"Will do."

When Skye finally got out the door, she ran into her bunk and quickly changed. She had already done her daily workout with May, so this emergency session left Skye wondering what kind of torture May had planned. After all, no one ever wanted to do extra.

Skye rushed to the gym as fast as she could, and as she did Skye found Fitz and Simmons wheeling equipment in. Fitz and Simmons had slowly begun the mending process. It was only very recently that they began talking to each other again and agreeing on everything. Skye made a mental note to ask Simmons about it later.

"What's up guys?" Skye asked, bouncing as she walked.

"Oh hello Skye. May asked Fitz and I to come help out with training today."

Skye looked uneasily at the equipment carts they were pushing. "Any hints?"

Simmons shook her head. "It's a surprise. You know how May gets."

Skye nodded and the three of them finished their walk in silence. Once they arrived at the gym, FitzSimmons began to set their equipment up, and Skye began to stretch. Her muscles were sore and fatigued. After all, it had only been a day since San Juan.

Finished, Skye looked at her watch and stood up. May was three minutes late, and May was never late. She glanced around, and noticed for the first time, the giant silver box in the far corner of the room. The box was about fifteen feet tall and suspended a couple feet above the ground. Surrounding it was a platform that had stairs leading up to the door.

"Hey Skye?" Jemma asked, breaking Skye's thoughts. "Can you run into the stabilizer for a minute and grab me something?"  
Simmons briefly looked over at Skye, who was opening the door. "Yep, that's it."

Just as Skye stopped inside, May came out of nowhere, slamming the door shut and locking Skye inside.

"Hey!" She shouted. The lights flickered on to reveal an empty interior just as silvery as the outside. In the middle of the room was a chair, faced in the opposite direction.

A screen on the wall came on with May and Simmons. "Guys," Skye exclaimed, automatically assuming that the screen was two way, "what the hell is going on?"

"Sorry Skye. This needs to happen," Jemma informed her. "Take a seat." Skye sat down hesitantly. "This chamber is for you to harness and practice using your powers."

Skye's eyes narrowed. "When did you have time to make this?"

"Fitz and I began drafting right after San Juan and created a resource list on the Bus. We then sent the blueprints ahead, and by the time we got home the whole thing was practically built." Skye nodded, impressed. "We think that your seismic powers extend past the limitations of Earth."

"Meaning?"

May elaborated. "They think you can shake the box without shaking the Earth."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"We want you to release it," May said.

"Release what?"

May exhaled. "Skye it's no secret you've been hurting. These last few days-hell, these last few weeks-have been exhausting. I know better than anyone that to maintain control of your emotions, you need to channel your anger or sadness somewhere. When I was starting out, I threw myself into training. I think it would be wise of you to do the same, but with your mental health and control of your powers. Because your powers are triggered by your emotions, it would be a good idea for you to put your anger and frustration there, so you can learn to control them and learn your boundaries."

Skye nodded again, yet stayed silent.

"So Skye," May continued, "we want you to release everything you've been feeling for the last few days, weeks, months."

"Okay, I can do that. But how can you be sure I won't destroy the base?"

"I have a pretty well-informed hunch that says you'll just shake the box," Jemma told her.

Skye inhaled and exhaled. She gripped the chair arms and began to use her powers. The not-so-familiar tug in her stomach told her that something around her was quaking, although she couldn't feel the tremors.

After what felt like ten minutes, Skye slowed the shaking. She was tired, and done crying. She stood up, and fell onto the ground Skye found herself drenched in sweat, but felt surprisingly better.

"How are you feeling?" Jemma asked.

"Way better. How long did it go?"

"Two hours." Skye picked herself off the floor, and then almost fell again.

"You alright?"

"Yeah I'm good." Skye used the chair arm to stabilize herself before walking out of the door. She stretched and followed Simmons outside the room.

"Rest up and get some sleep tonight, we'll continue this tomorrow."

"Yes m'am," she told May after collapsing on the gym mats.

* * *

**Sorry :( No letter this chapter(or next chapter)! So here are some reasons for my delay: **

**District Band-I play french horn and I went to districts, and made it to regions #4thchair**

**Swimming-I swim and dive like, 20 hours a week**

**Finals-3 finals yay**

**Thank you to annavale23, Guest, and Fluticorns for reviewing! Your feedback means everything to me! Please keep reviewing! Also I am almost done writing a one shot that is about 5k words, so if you happen to be a skyward fan, watch out for that :)**

**Have a great week!**


	8. Must Come Down

**HOLY CRAP! THERE WERE OVER 550 VIEWS TO THIS STORY THE DAY OF MY LAST UPDATE! ITS A NEW RECORD HOLY WOW AND ALSO THIS STORY IS TIED FOR MOST FAVORITES AND HAS THE MOST FOLLOWS OF ALL OF MY OTHER STORIES THANK YOU **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it man**

* * *

In a couple of months, Skye worked hard to control her new-found abilities and to forget that Ward ever existed. He hadn't reappeared or resurfaced at all. Every once in a while, a couple of HYDRA agents would appear, dead or tied up. They were like little presents, except they were dead or unconscious. Everyone knew it was Ward who did it, but no one ever said his name. He had disappeared as Coulson predicted.

Skye sat down in her chair and set her laptop on the table in front of her. "Skye?" Coulson called. She looked up and pulled her earphones out.

"Yeah."

"I'm gonna grab myself a coffee, and I want you to meet me in my office." Skye nodded and shut her laptop. "Just let yourself in," he told her, walking towards the Keurig.

Skye picked up her things and moved down the hall.

"Shit," she mumbled, throwing all of her crap into a table. Her arms had been filled with her laptop, two different notebooks, and an assortment of pens, pencils, and hi-lighters, the majority of which tumbled onto the floor.

Skye bent down frantically, picking up the different utensils. One of her pens, however, decided to fling itself over to the other side of the table, near the wall. Skye stood up and walked to it. She bent down and grabbed it, her eyes glancing over a loose brick in the wall. It was only misplaced a millimeter and Skye wouldn't have seen it had she not reached for the pen.

Skye squatted so that she was level with the brick. Gingerly, she pulled out the brick. She was careful not to get dirt on the floor or on her hands. After opening the hidey-hole entirely, Skye inspected its contents.

They were letters. All opened, addressed to Skye from Ward. Eyes wide, Skye shoved the letters back into space, slamming the brick back into the space. Just as she stood up, Coulson entered the room.

"Hey, Skye."

"Hey, AC." Skye internally winced. She hadn't called him AC since before the HYDRA fiasco. "Should I start calling you DC now?"

He looked back at her with a blank face.

"You know," she continued, "for Director Coulson?"

"Oh." He nodded and walked behind his desk. He sat down and took a sip of coffee. "Sit down."

Skye sat. "So," she began, "what do you need? Do we have a new mission?"

"No actually this is a more 'internal affairs' situation." Skye nodded. "There's no mole, but I have some housekeeping to do."

Skye was confused. Usually she had at least an idea about Coulson's meetings were about. It was one of the perks of being an origional team mate.

"May and I have decided to reject your request to make you a full fledged agent."

Skye released the breath she was holding. She had completely forgot about that request. "Oh, that's alright, I understand," Skye tried to stand up, but Coulson stopped her.

"Wait! I just want you to know why too." Skye sat back down. "When you go to the Academy, or any service academy or facility, they spend years tearing you down so that they can build you back up again. Their way. It's why Natasha Romanoff can within the foulest of tortures and why Ward became what he did." Skye nodded. "It's a technique used in the military. They take everything away from you, so that you become dependent on them. Then they give it all back to you slowly, so that you appreciate everything so much more. It helps to create a new mindset and it restarts your thinking. Overall, it transforms you into a stable, able-bodied soldier. It takes months and years to achieve, but we don't have that kind of time here." Coulson paused. "Given what you've been through these last few months, May and I want to make sure you're both physically and mentally prepared to give you the best chance of survival. But when you do become an agent, you will remain under the control of May, like everyone else."

Skye nodded. "I understand. I figured that it wouldn't be passed, but I would at least find out where I stand."

Coulson nodded. "That's my girl," he smiled and stood up. Skye stood up with him. "I'm going to the lab, you coming?"

"Yeah. Just let me grab my stuff," she told him, gesturing to her crap that littered the table.

"I can trust you, right?" he joked. Skye laughed and Coulson left. As soon as the sound of his footsteps disappeared, Skye reopened the brick hole in the wall and pulled out the letters. Behind them was a hard drive, no doubt containing pictures or transcripts of the letters.

She pulled her laptop down from the table above her and put it on the floor beside her. Opening her laptop, Skye inserted the thumb drive and began to download and copy its contents. Her fingers flew across the keyboard. A virus on the jump drive attacked her computer. Luckily, she quickly recognized it as one she had constructed. As fast as the attack began, it ended.

After copies of the letter, pictures, and transcripts were downloaded, Skye put the old virus back into the drive and placed it and the letters back where she found them. She grabbed her laptop and supplies and rushed towards the lab.

* * *

Coulson remained stone faced as he watched the security feed of his office. Skye had found the letters and thumb drive in his brick-hole hiding spot. He sighed. He knew that she would have found the extra letters eventually, but he wasn't prepared for it to happen so soon. It had only been three months, but that didn't mean anything. God only knew what could happen to her mental health and what that could mean for the team.

Switching the screen off, Coulson grabbed his coffee and started walking towards the lab. He would have some explaining to give May when she found out.

* * *

**3 Months Prior**

Ward was on the move. There were some HYDRA agents after himself and Kara, but the pair of them together were in no condition to take them down. With Whitehall dead, HYDRA was practically falling over itself to find a new leader. More than one high-up official wanted Whitehall's old job, but the organization had yet to choose another leader. As far as Ward could tell, HYDRA split into three groups, each aligning underneath three different leaders. Right now, Ward and Kara were running from all three. It seemed that while all three groups wanted their leader to be in charge, they managed to come together as a team while perusing ex-HYDRA members.  
Ward glanced behind him. Agent 33 was about a block behind him, and the HYDRA agents were another block behind her. The pair had opted to spread apart, given Ward's injury and Kara's need for vengeance. If HYDRA were to get any closer to her, she would "rip them apart, limb by limb." Grant had nodded, being quite familiar with the feeling himself.  
Speaking of feeling, Ward was in pain. His backpack strap was digging into round two of his stitches. There was a good forty pounds in his bag, so it wasn't helping his back and shoulders either. It was almost over though. They were almost to the UPS store.  
Ward looked both ways, and then crossed the street. He must have looked a little weird, as it was almost dusk and a pair of sunglasses and a ball cap covered his head. The UPS store lie right in front of him, so Ward pulled the disguise before entering.  
"How are you doing today?" a perky brunette asked him.  
Ward shot her his smolder and put on his best manners. "I'm doing great, how are you?"  
"I'm good," she paused and smiled some more. "What can I help you with today?"  
"I need to send this package to a friend of mine." He shrugged his backpack off, pulled it out, and handed it to the girl.  
Ward paid with cash and accepted a receipt. On the back was the brunette's number. He smiled and thanked her before leaving. Just as he exited, Kara met him outside the door.  
"We need to get out of here," she told him, "fast." Grant nodded and checked behind them. There were two men in front of them and four behind them. The only way was forward, and to get out of their sight was to head down an alley and confront them all.  
Him and 33 ducked quickly into the nearest alleyway. Ward threw his backpack into a dumpster to his left. He took up a fighting stance beside Kara. This was gonna hurt a lot, he thought, wincing as a fist collided with his still hurting side.

* * *

**Dang it guys... Please please please leave a review, or follow or favorite! Its the only way for me to know if you like what I'm doing :) ****Also, a special shout out to annavale23 and reese24 for being super mega awesome and reviewing! please, plEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!**

**Swimming has been going great, I've qualified in 6 events, including diving, and schools going okay. I'm horribly unprepared for region band though... :( AND SLEEP... I NEED SO MUCH SLEEP. I'M AFRAID OF FALLING ASLEEP IN MY CLASSES BUT I REALLY JUST WANT TO!**

**oh and I totally forgot to mention that I live in the snowiest city in the united states with a population of 100,000+, and my school is yet to cancel or even delay. they've even started this thing, called fleece friday. it is on this day, when they turn the temperature down to conserve energy. its a great thought and all, like yay for saving the environment, but im freaking cold. [RANT OVER IM SO SORRY]**

**Have any of you heard of _Les Choristes_? Its a french movie that I am literally in love with right now.. the soundtrack is pure gold, link in my bio.**

**I hope you guys have a great week!**


	9. When You've Got These

**Well shit. I just realized I haven't touched this story in a month, but more on that at the bottom. gosh darnit. Im so sorry guys.**

**Dislcaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

-Present Day-

Skye ran into the lab. It was taking all of her skills to not drop the multitude of writing utensils she clutched to her stomach. Skye went to her normally occupied desk in the far corner of the room and dumped her arms' contents onto it. A laptop, two notebooks, and her many pens, pencils, and highlighters now littered her desk.

She sighed and collapsed in her swivel chair. The cushion caught her weight and Skye closed her eyes. What she would give for a nap.

Slowly, Skye sat up and opened her laptop. She opened the file that Grant's new letters occupied. There were at least twelve in all, not including the originals Skye had left. Judging by the pictures, Skye could tell that they were written all around the same time, probably spanning at least a month. On some, the file said there were traces of blood.

His writing hadn't changed at all. It was kind of creeping Skye out. Ward was supposed to be dead. He wasn't even supposed to have a written word at this point. Skye knew he was alive and out there, but deep down she continued to convince herself that he was gone and she never had to see him again. Alas, that wasn't the case. He was still alive, and still persistent. Was his determination to be admired or afraid of?

She opened the first letter.

_Skye,_ Dammit.

_I'm alive and I'm with Agent 33. Nice try though. It's been a day and a half since you shot me, and I am broken. So broken. I'll make it through. But it won't be pretty,_

_First, how could you? I cannot believe that I took you to meet your father and stayed by your side while you escaped. I told you nothing but the truth and you turned around and lied to me._

Skye could almost hear the crack in his voice as he exhaled.

_Regardless, my betrayal of you, wasn't anything personal. I, honestly, did not mean to hurt the team in anyway. My allegiances were with Garett, but not against the team's. Your betrayal of me, was personal. You betrayed me because you think that I betrayed you. Maybe some of that is true._

_Trust is very hard to rebuild in this line of work._

_I'm not sure how to feel right now. Half of me wants to move on. I could leave this world and become more. Return to life. I could find some desk job in the private sector or something. The other half of me knows I can't move on or leave, and that hurts. I want to rejoin SHIELD. But no longer for you. I want to rejoin to make right by my wrongs and to rebuild my life and career. I don't want to do it for you. Or to be with you. I can't afford to think like that._

_I've gotten the message. You don't love me. I get it. If we work together in the future, we will have to be friends. I taught you too well, and for that, I am thankful._

_Good luck out there,_

_Grant Ward._

Skye leaned back against her chair and turned from side to side. What did this mean for them? She sighed and sat back up. Skye finished typing both of them up and transferred them into the encryption. What was the harm in looking for another code?

Just as the fluorescent green numbers disappeared from the screen, Coulson appeared right behind her.

"How's the encryption going?" He asked.

Skye jumped and almost panicked. Her eyes widened in fear before she relaxed. "Oh," she was relieved. "You mean the Trojan horse improvements? Yeah I finished upgrading those last night."

"Oh, good. Thanks for that."

"Yep." Skye almost turned back to her computer when Simmons began to speak.

"Skye, can you come help me over here?"

Skye stood up and moved past Coulson. "Be on standby," he told her, moving briskly towards the exit.

She nodded and continued towards Simmons who held a test tube of something fizzy between a pair of tongs.

"Hurry!" Simmons called. "Grab a lab coat and goggles." Skye did as she was told and put a pair of gloves on too. "Okay, so I want you to add those blue rock things to that orange stuff. Then I'm gonna drop this in, but you need to hit that big red button."

Skye added the ingredients. "On your count. "

"One...Two...Now!" Simmons dumped the fizzy liquid into the beaker and Skye hit the red button. The button released a type of force field that channeled the smoke and vapor into a vent that led to above ground.

Simmons sighed. "Thanks Skye."

"No problem Jem." Skye shedded her attire before returning to her desk.

* * *

"I think she's ready," Coulson told May. They stood together in Vault C, overlooking a map of the world. Bobbi sat at the desk right below them, her feet kicked up while eating some kind of weird rice.

"Are you sure?" Bobbi asked, her mouth full. "Lots of times people pretend not to have problems to get off the sidelines." She swallowed. "For all we know, she's shut herself down and raised her defenses. You would a lot about that, May."

May resisted the urge to roll her eyes and Phil nodded knowingly. She whacked him lightly on the shoulder. "Yeah, I guess that's what she could be doing, but there comes a point where you get past that."

Bobbi spun around to face them. "But how can you guys be sure?"

Coulson sighed. "I can't. There's not an actual way of knowing. But she found the letters, and we agreed that if she found them we'd tell her."

May glared. "We made no such agreement."

Coulson shrugged. "It won't matter if she's ready, she'll find out sooner or later," he covered.

"Okay, Phil, then let's test it. How does tonight sound?"

"Um, very sudden, but fine."

"Great," Bobbi responded, "then it's settled." She stood up from her chair and stretched. "I'll go get her." On her way out, Bobbi dropped her empty food container into the trash. "I can't wait to see the look on her face."

* * *

"Skye," Bobbi called her name, long and drawn out for literally the four hundredth time.

"What do you want?"

"You have to come with me." Bobbi, Skye, and Simmons were in the lab. Bobbi sulked around and refused to leave without Skye in tow.

"Where to?" Skye asked. She was currently jotting down some numbers for one of Simmons's experiments.

"No where."

Skye shot her a look. "Seriously, Bob? You're acting like a second grader."

"No, I'm not!" She exclaimed, grabbing Skye by the hand. Bobbi pretended to drag her out as Skye's feet slid behind her. "Okay but seriously I have something to show you."

The look Simmons gave Bobbi was one of concern. "Are you guys sure this is a good idea?"

"Coulson's orders." Skye's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

"Okay, fine. I'm coming!" She began to leave. Turning to Simmons, Skye asked, "You'll be good right?"

"Oh yeah. I'm great. Besides, you'll want to see this."

* * *

**Well one chapter done! I haven't had much time to type or write because last week was swimming districts, and I've had practice and work as well. Thankfully, this year I made it as an alternate to States this week! because I'm not actually swimming the whole time, I'll have plenty of free time to type and write more...and do the shit ton of homework i'll have too...**

**Anyways, those are my excuses. Have a nice week! Remember to leave a review, or follow and favorite. Feedback keeps me going!**


	10. When You've Got Time

**Oh my goodness...I've been gone a super long time...more on why at the bottom lol **

**Disclaimer: I don't own this**

* * *

"Are you shitting me right now? This has been going on for how long?" Skye was pissed.

"About two months," Coulson responded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Coulson's eyes searched May's. His expression said something along the lines of 'help'.

"You weren't ready. But now you are," May put it simply.

Skye exhale. "Okay, so let's recap. Vault C is being used as an active field map and operations room. You happen to know, and care, about where Ward is. Oh wait, there's more. Everyone on the base knew except for me."

"Skye," May warned.

"I'm fine." The ground gave a faint shake.

Bobbi pulled her feet off the desk. "Well that was fun."

Skye glared. "This discussion isn't over yet." She turned to May. "Is there anything else I don't know about?"

May have Coulson a look. "Yes," he said cautiously, "there's more." May glanced towards the map.

"What is it?"

"Ward is working for us again."

The ground shook a bit more this time. May was a bit impressed that Skye was holding it together so well.

"How long?"

"Two months. After thinking everything over-" and reading the letters, Skye thought "-I decided that his intentions were true, he was trying to help us. However, I don't blame you for shooting him. You did the right thing."

"Okay," Skye continued, the flush disappearing from her face, "then what has he been doing?"

"He contacted me after he healed, and I decided that if he wanted to join the team after you shot him, he must feel really bad." May gave him another look. "I mean, not that what he did was easily forgivable, but that we've forgiven much worse in the past."

"So how do you know he's not HYDRA?" Bobbi jumped in. Skye's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What? It's getting good."

"HYDRA is after them. They've been killing and capturing HYDRA agents for months."

"Wait, 'they'?" Skye's jaw hung open.

"He's with May. The look alike."

"And you trust her?"

"No, I don't trust either of them, but they get stuff done."

"I need a break," She ran out of the vault and sprinted down the hall to the training room. The floor shook a small amount with every step she took. From the lab, Jemma glanced out the window to see Skye tearing down the hallway. Simmons took off after her.

"SKYE!"

Skye ignored her and threw open the doors to the training room. The agents inside stopped what they doing and stared at Skye, who pounded up the stairs of the Box and climbed inside.

Before Simmons caught up, Skye was already inside, shaking the Box like never before.

* * *

May appeared behind Simmons, holding out a cup of tea to her. "How long has she been going?"

"About four hours and ten minutes. This is the longest she's ever gone before." Simmons took the tea and instinctively curled up around it.

"How do you think she's reeling?"

Simmons sipped her tea. "She's working through a lot right now. I think she's really mad we kept everything about Ward from her."

"I think it's more than that."

"You're probably right," Simmons sighed. "Usually when she hits 45 minutes, she begins to back off. Something's she goes a little longer-that's not unusual-but its been three and a half hours longer. After she hits four and a half, I'll probably shut her down, or maybe check in on her," Simmons responded. "She's been withholding from us."

"I know," May told her as she left the room. "Keep me updated."

"Yes m'am."

Suddenly, the box stopped shaking and Skye stepped out. She was drenched with sweat from head to toe. Everyone in the room was quiet, their cold stares bore into her being.  
"There's nothing to see guys," she said, stepping down the stairs. The few people training hesitantly returned to what they were doing. On the way out of the room, Skye grabbed a towel. She was disgustingly sweaty.  
From there, Skye took a shower that started off colder and slowly grew to a boiling temperature. Once she finished, Skye started feeling dizzy. She quickly decided she needed food, or water, but first she decided to put on her clothes. After slipping on her last sock, Skye's vision faded and she collapsed on the floor in front of her bunk.

* * *

"Skye..." a voice called. It and other voices had been wavering in and out for the last hour. Skye didn't want to get up yet. She needed to sleep and she wanted to sleep too. Dammit. She was waking up.

"Welcome back Skye," Simmons welcomed her from across the infirmary.

"Oh my goodness," Skye rubbed her throbbing head. "What happened? How long have I been asleep for?

Simmons pulled a water bottle from the refrigerator, which Skye graciously accepted. "You passed out around...six hours ago. No ones quite sure."

Skye glanced at the clock. It was almost 11. The day team would be going to bed soon, and the night team would be waking up.

"Yeah you spent four hours in the box, and then decided to take a hot shower before eating or drinking anything. A mix of muscle fatigue, warm water, dehydration, and hypoglycemia led to this. I'm surprised you were able to put your clothes on, nonetheless get into the shower. You were really pale when we found you, and you had an impressively low blood sugar for someone without a form of diabetes your age."

Skye wasn't surprised. "Okay. That explains why I feel like shit."

Simmons nodded. "I was going to head to bed. Is there anything you need or want me to bring you?"

There was a pause. "Yeah, actually, can you grab me my tablet and bring me some food?"

"Sure. Just let me get that IV out of you first."

Simmons got one of the nurses to take her IV out. They advised her not to walk for a while and to get some bed rest in the infirmary. They promised her she'd be out in the morning, but to ensure her safety they wanted her to stay overnight. Simmons was the last person to leave after she brought Skye her tablet.

Once Skye was alone, she tried walking. All of her muscles felt like jelly and she couldn't wait to go to the bathroom. Slowly but surely Skye made her way to the bathroom. When she came out, a troop of people came down the hall.

The infirmary windows were some of FitzSimmons's own design. They were clear as day on one side, but blacked out like a wall on the other. Just as Skye looked outside, she saw the troop and who was leading them.

It was Ward.

Skye's adrenaline kicked in and she ran to the window. When she stopped, Skye got very light headed. Skye followed Ward along the window. Half of her was disgusted, the other half was intrigued. By the time she got to the door in the far corner of the room Ward had already disappeared down the hallway.

Skye stood on her tiptoes and tried to look through the door's window, but was nearly pushed over by Simmons.

"Skye! What are you doing out of bed?"

Skye was hesitant to tell Simmons at first, but then she responded. "I thought I saw Ward here, but I must be on something."

Simmons said nothing to confirm or deny it. Instead she helped Skye back into bed. "Why did you come back?" Skye asked.

"I brought you your charger." Jemma plugged the charger into the wall beside Skye's bed and then handed her the tablet.

"Awe thank you so much, Jems."

"Yeah, no problem." Simmons sat down at the foot of Skye's bed. There was silence.

"I'm sorry Jemma. I haven't been a really good friend lately, and I'm sorry." There was more silence. "I can't really make excuses, but there has been a lot going on for both of us."

Simmons rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it Skye."

Skye nodded and another pause ensued. "How are you and Fitz?"

Jemma drew in a sharp breath. "I thought we weren't gonna make it after the whole undercover HYDRA thing. We've kind of begun to rebuild, but it's awkward."

Skye smiled a bit. "Hey that's good. Better than no progress."

"It is, isn't it?" An awkward feeling overtook the room. "I'm going to go to bed," she told Skye, standing up.

"Okay, sleep tight."

"You too. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yep."

The door shut and Skye was left alone with her tablet. Simmons had shut off the light on her way out, leaving Skye in the dark. She grabbed her tablet off the bedside table and brought up the rest of the letters. She had sworn she saw Ward, and if he was at the base tomorrow, she was going to be prepared.  
With the tablet brightness down all the way, and the warm covers around her, Skye snuggled into the pillow and began to read.

_Skye,_

_You've probably already read the first letter in this packet, but here are the rest. They are dated and can be read in chronological order. This is my life and my path to healing documented and sent to you to read. Take care of these._

_Yours,_

_Grant Douglas Ward_

Skye flipped through the rest of the manuscripts to find that they were already in order. She settled on the first day.

_December 12th, 2014_

_I'm a bit confused, Skye. I hopped on a plane with Agent 33, Kara, beside me, and when we got off I managed to drive us through Miami to a safe house before passing out. Kara's makeshift stitches ripped apart after landing, and I didn't notice until I fainted._  
_Thankfully, it was an unregistered safe house of mine, with my blood type in storage. Anyways, I'm still alive. Nice try. Message received._

_December 17th, 2014_

_I don't blame you. I wish I could or did, but I honestly can't. After everything I've done to you and to the team, I need to be okay with the fact that you won't ever want me, or love me, or look at me like you once did._  
_I guess today I'm really feeling it. Maybe someday I'll feel like a better person._

_Or maybe not._

_December 25th, 2014_

_I hate this day, I hate this season, and I hate what I did to the team._

_December 26th, 2014_

_Caught a couple of bad guys today. I hope you don't hate me._

_December 30th, 2014_

_I've been thinking a lot about Fitz today. I wish our meeting had gone better. There was so much I feel bad for and responsible for, and I just want to apologize again, and again._

_It's so annoying too, because I have been conditioned and I've conditioned myself into this being that only knows one thing, which is orders. I can follow the rules and break the rules, but I can't make the rules. My body wants me to move on, my head feels no guilt, but my heart is telling me that everything I know is wrong._

_December 31st, 2014_

_Left Miami four hours ago. Currently speeding through Georgia. They're tailing us._

_January 1st, 2015_

_This is really hard to write, but it has to be done. I don't know if this will be hard for you to read, hell, you shot me so probably not. Anyways, here goes._  
_I have never had a New Years resolution. Garrett didn't like the, and I never really had time. Why would I need a new year to change a habit of behavior? But now, I have a few. New year, new me, right?_

_I want to make a change in this world. For the good. I want to help wipe my ledger clean. Whether I "lay low" for a couple months, or rejoin the organization, I want to move on._

_Starting with you Skye. At first, I wanted to rejoin this organization for you, and so you would love me. I tried to help you by introducing you to your father and helping you uncover your past. Obviously you still weren't over my betrayal, which I don't blame you for. Nonetheless, consider your message received. I don't need you to be a full person. I need my own approval before I start seeking the approval of others, which means that I need freedom from those around me to become a better person._

_The distance between us is thousands of miles apart, but I honestly feel like you are right beside me. My life is based on you, and to heal, it can't be._

_Goodbye Skye._

Skye sat straight up in the hospital bed, her sore muscles aching. "What?"

The night nurse on duty must have heard because she rushed in, ready to assist. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine. Just a dream."

The nurse eyed the tablet in Skye's hands. The light glowed against the hacker's face. The nurse left, closing the door behind her and leaving Skye alone with her thoughts.

* * *

**YAY! IM BACK! So I thought I would have time during states to type and write, but I only really had time to sleep. Luckily, I just endured like 4 plane rides and I typed so freaking much lol**

**Also, now that I'm only doing one sport and not working, I have a buttload of time.**

**Please follow, or favorite, or leave a review, especially if you want me to continue**

**Have a nice week!**


	11. When We Meet Again II

**HAHAHAHA IM BACK AGAIN! THIS EPISODE IS LITERALLY TOO CRAZY IM ON THE VERGE OF TEARS, OKAY OKAY.**

** Thank you guys so much for reading! I had literally almost 1k views on this story for this month right after I posted the chapter, which is very many. PleasePleasePleasePlease leave a _review_, or just _follow and/or favorite_ this for me :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Everyone was avoiding her, and Skye couldn't figure out why. This had happened when she had gotten out of quarantine three months before, but Skye thought exercising for four hours and then passing out was hardly an excuse for everyone to ignore her again. This remained a mystery until about noon, when the entire base had a meeting without Skye. Of course, she was a little hurt and definitely confused, but Skye decided to play it off as cool.

As she walked to the lounge, Skye wondered about how this even happened. She went to the bathroom right before everyone disappeared, giving the group two minutes, tops. What were they hiding from her anyways?

Skye stopped right outside the lounge door and thought about her game plan. She would walk in, and make some coffee and maybe pretend everyone wasn't there. Skye put her hand on the door knob. What if Ward was inside? What if seeing him yesterday wasn't just dehydration? Skye shooed her thoughts away and exhaled slowly, twisting the knob and sneaking into the room.

Everyone was facing away from her with the exception of May, Coulson, Ward, and Kara. The group was having a talk about easing Skye into everything and being compassionate while welcoming their guests, blah, blah, and blah, as far as Skye was concerned.

Skye's adrenaline spiked. She was kind of excited to mess with everyone, even if they all thought she was crazy afterwards. She snuck up the far side of the room until she was at the counter in front of everyone with the coffee maker. Coulson had headed into his welcoming portion of his speech when she appeared behind him and Ward with a coffee cup in hand.

Skye leaned against the counter, amazed that no one appeared to had noticed her yet. She was facing an entire organization, a legion of spies and liars, trained to observe and seek. Suddenly, Simmons, who stood in the front, spotted Skye and her eyes widened. She nudged Fitz beside her who jolted awake before seeing Skye. He gave her a look and rubbed his nose suspiciously.

Skye held up a finger to her mouth in a "be quiet" types signal. The speech seemed to be wrapping up, so Skye left her spot of leaning against the counter and jumped onto the counter, leaving her coffee next to her until she was comfortable.

"Okay everyone, thank you for coming and for listening. Let's get back to work!" May called out. The crowd dispersed and a couple of people who noticed Skye stayed to see how it played out.

Coulson turned around, coming face to face with Skye. "Hello Skye."

"Hey Director."

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

When Skye began to speak, Ward's head picked up from his conversation with Kara.

"Long enough."

"And?"

When Skye began, her tone was a little salty and definitely smart-ass. "I'm impressed you managed to email everyone but me. Did Simmons teach you that?"

Coulson's eyebrows raised. "No, actually Agent May did." Skye rolled her eyes. "Are you mad?"

Skye motioned for the Director to follow her and she hopped off the counter and pulled him aside in hallway nearby.

"I'm more upset that you didn't tell me that Ward was working for us. I would have liked a warning and I'm sure Fitz and Simmons would have liked one too."

Coulson looked away for a split second. "I made sure it was alright with them beforehand."

Skye's jaw dropped in disbelief. "And they cleared that?" She shook her head. "Look, I don't care that he's here. I trust you, and if you trust him, then I guess I trust him too. They're here to help, and that's what matters."

"Good. I'm glad you think so." Coulson began to walk away, but Skye caught him by the arm.

"But, I do wish you would have told me. We've been over this. No more secrets or lies."

"I'm sorry Skye, you were going to find out eventually."

Skye nodded. "It's fine, don't worry about it." She waited a beat. "Should I go say hi, or wait for him to approach me?"

Coulson's eyes widened. "See what he does. You tried to kill him the last time you saw him, remember?"

"Oh, right. I almost forgot about that for a second." Skye winced.

"Also, you should know that I debriefed him on your condition last night. Unfortunately, right after he asked you had been put in the infirmary."

"Not fair!" She exclaimed.

"Speaking of, you've become overly dependent on the Box and I want you off of it for a while."

"Fine, but no more secret meetings." Skye left Coulson in the hallway before returning to an empty lounge. She needed her coffee. It was gonna take more than a cup to take her mind off of their new guests. Skye returned to the lab and sat down at her desk and did some more firewall strengthening. It could never be too strong, right?

A minute later, Ward came into the lab and started talking with FitzSimmons, who seemed to have completely forgiven him. Maybe he's here to talk to me? Skye thought. But alas, after a minute of conversation Ward left.

Or not.

"Pssttt...Jemma."

"Yes Skye?"

Skye continued to whisper, while Simmons couldn't keep her voice down. "How are things with," Skye gestured outside the lab.

"Ward?" Simmons walked closer to Skye and sat down on the corner of her desk.

"Yeah, him."

"They're good. A little weird."

"How's Fitz?"

"He didn't like the idea at first, but he understands that it's better for the organization and for him to just forgive. How are you?"

Skye ignored Simmons's question and posed her own. "How long have you guys known for?"

"About two weeks."

"How much have you talked to him?"

"Not a lot. It's actually kind of awkward." There was a pause. "But Skye, really, how are you?"

Skye sighed. "I'm doing okay. I don't want to trust him, or see him, or talk to him, but Coulson seems to trust him, so I guess I should too." Skye leaned forward and hugged Simmons. "Thank you for being such a good friend."

"No, thank you."

Skye's wristwatch beeped, causing Simmons to jump out of the hug.

"I've got to go," Skye told her. "Bobbi and I are gonna spar."

"Okay cool, I'll see you later. Don't work too hard."

An alarm went off across the lab. "Perfect timing. My mass spec. is done." She threw on a lab coat and Skye left.

* * *

Sweat poured down Skye's face and body, seeping into her clothes. God I'm gonna need a shower, she thought, wiping her forehead with a towel. She took a swig of water and then walked back to the mat.

Skye and Bobbi had been sparring for about an hour, with May watching on. These little matches became routine, although Skye had been very intimidated at first. It proved to be a very effective training method, as they stopped to teach Skye new moves and combinations along the way. Usually May and Skye fought, but every once or twice a week Bobbi joined them to stay in shape.

"You ready?" Bobbi asked.

"Yeah actually, I want to try something." Skye shook her hands back and forth to let Bobbi know that she planned on using her powers.

"Okay. Just be careful."

They began to fight and it looked pretty even for a good while. Skye felt good. She was holding herself together against the Bobbi Morse.

But that was her mistake.

Bobbi struck Skye with her elbow and then used that momentum to thrust her to the ground.

Perfect, Skye thought, looking up at Bobbi.

"Did you even try any-" the mat shook violently. Skye could feel it in her gut while Bobbi lurched forward. Skye kicked her up and over her before pinning Bobbi down less than a second later. The shaking was stopped and May ran out towards them.

"What the hell was that?" She yelled.

"Relax, May. I only shook the mat."

"Skye, that was so dangerous. You could have brought down this entire base!"

Skye helped Bobbi up. "But I didn't, and I wasn't! If there had been any doubt in my mind, then I wouldn't have tried anything!" May looked at her, unmoving. "I can control myself," she insisted.

Suddenly May moved right into Skye's face and grabbed both of her wrists. "Remember this?" she asked.

Skye winced, remembering the pain she felt when she fractured both of her wrists into tiny fragments.

"I can control myself," she repeated. "I don't want to hold it in. I want to use my power."

May glared. "We'll talk about this later. Take a warm down mile." She dropped both of Skye's wrists and left the training room.

Skye's eyes narrowed but she did as she was told. She ran for about ten minutes, taking a mile and a half instead of one. As she finished, she was approached by none other, than Grant Ward.

* * *

**How'd you guys like it? PLEASE let me know by reviewing, following, or favorite-ing.**

**Speaking of reviews, a big thanks to Guest, Brenda(guest), annavale23, and MoonCharm134! My only reviewers :) thanks guys, you all really know how to make a girl smile :)**

**Have a nice week!xxx**


	12. While You're Here

**Oh dang. After that extremely heavy Ward episode, I feel as if I didn't do his character justice! I love Ward so much, he just brings a lot to the show that I really enjoy and look forward to. The good news is that he's definitely in this chapter, and the next two as well :) there will be more SkyWard tension soon, I promise :)Your thoughts?**

**Anyways, Enjoy!**

* * *

"You look good," he told her.

"Thanks," she looked at him. She was trying her best to seem impartial to his return. Ward and Skye had just finished their respective workouts and each went their separate ways into the locker rooms. "You don't look too shabby yourself."

Ward chuckled darkly and pushed open the door to the men's locker room. Skye did the opposite.

As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Skye's mind attacked her with thoughts and feelings and emotions. That was weird. Like what, were they friends now? Were they at least okay? What did that liar actually think of her?

Skye showered and washed quickly. She changed out of the standard work out gear and into a pair of black pants and a grey tee-shirt. Skye needed to get back to work. She felt like she needed to avoid Ward. Part of her knew that she didn't have to, but she still wanted to.

As soon as she opened the door, bag on her shoulder, she ran square into Ward.

"Ohmygoshimsosorry!" she told him. He had caught her by her forearms.

"It's my bad. I forgot which way the exit was." He held her for a second before waiting to let go. Together they left the gym.

"Where are you heading to?" Ward asked.

"Well, I was gonna grab a snack in the lounge and then I have a debriefing."

"Me too actually," he paused, "mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all."

They continued towards the lounge. The longer they were quiet, the quicker the atmosphere became awkward. Skye was freaking out inside. Was Ward freaking out too? After gaining control of her emotional state months before, Skye only felt one or two things at a time. It was better for her to compartmentalize and to think in what may called "emotional increments" than to think all at once. But Skye's feelings were in a state of panic. She was at both sides of the spectrum, both poles all at once, and it was more confusing than ever.

Skye's initial reaction to anything Ward related began with a familiar feeling, followed by a ping of betrayal that quickly became a deafening buzz. Now, it felt like Skye had put on her favorite pair of noise-canceling headphones to try and block the buzz.

Skye felt herself turning into the lounge. There she grabbed a chocolate milk, a package of trail mix, and a water for later. Chocolate milk was one of her favorite recovery drinks.

Ward raised his eyebrows at her choice of drink, but stayed silent.

"It's a fabulous recovery drink, look it up," she told him. Skye motioned him to follow her. "This way."

They walked in an awkward silence at first. Skye was feeling pretty confident. She decided that Ward was on her turf now. She gave herself a second to decide - be a hard ass and still be pissed off, or be a wuss and act like he was okay, for a guy who kidnapped her and ruined her life more than once.

Skye snapped herself back into agent mode. There was no space for this in Coulson's office. If they were debriefing together, chances were they would have a mission together. There was no room for failure or personal vendettas in the field. Any margin of error had to be destroyed.

"So, how've you been?" Skye asked him. She already knew, but Ward didn't know that.

"Not bad," Ward told her. Half a truth.

"How's Kara? I haven't gotten a chance to introduce myself yet, but she seems nice."

Ward snorted. "Yeah, like Bobbi Morse nice."

"Hey, I think Bobbi's great."

Ward put his hands up, unwilling to say more. There could've been a story there, but Skye wasn't sure.

"I wonder what this debriefing is about."

Ward said nothing.

"Someone's in an over talkative mood today," she teased. Okay, so small talk wasn't the way to address they man you shot multiple times in the chest.

They continued walking, this time past the only hallway with windows on the base. Because it was half underground, there were only parts of the base that had windows. They, very soon after, found themselves in Coulson's office.

Director Coulson was sitting at his desk while May leaned up against it with her hip. "No, I cannot have her-" May seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion when Coulson interrupted.

"We need this Melinda. Besides, it could prove to be a wonderful learning experience." Phil looked past May to the door. "Come on in," he told Ward and Skye.

May gave the death glare to Coulson and stormed out of the office, brushing past Ward on the way out.

"Agent May."

"Agent Ward."

Skye shivered. The air dropped about thirty degrees when the two interacted. She and Ward approached the desk and Skye sat down. Ward showed no signs of emotion and followed Skye's lead.

"What can we do for you today, sir?"

Coulson looked between the two of them. Skye sighed. There was a story coming.

"This week the Bus is traveling to some of the West African and Mediterranean countries to try and find more lost SHIELD agents and meet with some very important people. We'll gain supplies and hopefully meet with some world leaders who don't currently hate us."

Skye nodded. Business as usual.

"One of our suppliers in Greece sent us a message yesterday requiring backup. Their base has been compromised."

Skye shot in. "Why haven't we taken action yet?"

"We have done nothing because there isn't a lot we can do right now. They know there's a mole, but the problem is that the mole is customer and their base is a casino. They aren't equipped for a full confrontation."

"Oh, okay. You want Ward and I to go in and confront the guy and then we can leave?"

"Not exactly."

Ward exhaled loudly beside her.

"The subject at the casino was linked to Skye's father. He might be friends with your dad, but he's not friends with SHIELD. The man, Louis Franks, appeared in our old criminal database. We need our best agents on this to ensure that there is no damage to our supplier or to their casino."

Skye's face was blank. "Okay, so why couldn't have Bobbi done this? Or May?"

"This mission is not my greatest concern at the moment. I need a good specialist and a good hacker to get in and get things done. This is an undercover mission because, quite frankly, I thought it would be a good learning experience for the both of you. Besides, if it wasn't undercover, Franks would out us right away."

Skye held off the urge to roll her eyes. Coulson was a great leader and a great director, but sometimes he just didn't get it.

Ward noticed. "Sounds good, sir. Does this permanently re-instate my agent-ship?"

Coulson looked outside the window. "Come back alive and I'll see what I can do." He waited a beat. "Skye, you are dismissed."

Skye stood up and left, looking hesitantly behind her. When she was gone Coulson turned his attention back to Ward.

"We need to talk," Coulson told him. "I'm in a tight spot. I'm really conflicted about how I should approach this whole situation. You betrayed the team, but you also have saved us more than once. You killed Victoria Hand, one of the Koeing brothers, you nearly killed FitzSimmons, and caused this team so much trouble with your lies and deception. But you also defended Skye in Puerto Rico, and saved our asses on multiple occasions. You and Kara both have done more for this new organization than anyone else, but I still don't trust you."

Ward was silent. He didn't need to affirm or deny anything. Everything Coulson was saying was true.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you with Skye on this mission."

Ward waited a second, and then spoke up. "With all due respect, sir, you aren't the only person Fury gave orders to after the fall."

* * *

**BOOM! **

**Speaking of the whole, Ward thing, I'm really on the fence with this whole 'redemption arc' thing. What I love most about Ward is the unpredictability his character brings to the show. A lot of people hate him because of what he has done to the other characters, but in all honesty I find him to be one of the more interesting people on the show. He seems like a pretty straight forward person, but behind his soldier face, hes got something else. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but I'm not sure I _want_ Ward to become fully redeemed. The tension between their two groups gives me life. What are your thoughts, espically after this episode lol? (like ward x kara? idk how to feel man)**

**Anyways, Please remember to drop a review, or follow and/or favorite. A BIG thanks to who reviewed on the last chapter! You guys rock! Shout outs to AOSshipper, annavale23, brenda(guest), and reecse24**

**Also, If you're feeling avenger-y I have an AU called _the __Commons _that I would absolutely love you guys to check out!**

**Thanks for reading, Have a nice week!xxx**


	13. When We're Together

**WOWOWOWOW GUYSSSSSS! I'm hit 50 reviews on this story! thank you so much for your reviews and your support! I love feedback, it is one of the only reasons I continue to update! Anyways, who's going to see/already seen AoU? I hope to go Saturday, but god only knows what my track coach will want haha**

**Disclaimer: I don't own AoS**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I hate this part," Ward muttered under his breath. He was fixing the cuffs of his jacket while walking up the steps of the casino.

"Why?" Skye asked. Anything that Ward hated, she was almost willing to learn to like.

He sighed. "I don't like dual missions. I could do this all by myself if needed. They're annoying, and the undercover stuff really stinks. I like that I can be someone else, but other than that..." he trailed off as they pushed open the double doors and approached the front desk.

"Oh honey! Don't worry, it'll be fun!" Skye said rather loudly. She linked her left arm into Ward's right and moved closer to him. "This vacation is exactly what you need! I'm sure that everyone at the business will be absolutely fine!"

The woman at the front desk smiled. "How can I help you two today?"

Skye pulled herself even closer to Ward and smiled even wider than before. "We're here to check in."

"Last name?"

"Johnson."

The receptionist typed some more into her computer. "Oh, it seems that you two have been upgraded to one of our couple's suits."

"Doesn't that sound wonderful, honey?" Skye intertwined her fingers with Ward's.

"It sure does, sweetie," he responded.

The lady typed some more and then swiped two key cards. She handed them both to Skye and Ward. "You've been bumped to room 827. That would be the eighth floor, and don't you worry, your luggage will be brought to you both. Enjoy your stay!"

The pair smiled and thanked her before running off towards an elevator.

"Take it down a couple of notches, would you?" Ward half said with the fakest smile still plastered to his face.

"We're doing great, honey. Don't screw it up."

They stepped into an elevator and Ward used his watch to sweep for bugs. Fitz had built it a while back for a different mission, but let Ward use it for the time being.

"Okay, we're clear," Ward told her. Skye pushed the button for floor eight, and they started to move. "Just so you know," he continued, "they know we're here. They had our room moved so they could bug it."

"I know, I know," Skye glared. "This isn't my first undercover mission. I did a lot while you were gone."

Ward was silent. He had missed more than he had anticipated.

The elevator dinged and they left as smiley and as loving as ever. As they continued down the hall, looking for their rooms, Ward swept it for bugs. Nothing in the hallway. Skye led him to their room and inserted the key. The door shut quickly behind them revealing a rather bright hotel room.

"Oh this is a really nice room, honey! Are you sure we could afford something as nice as this?" Skye's voice was super loud.

"Imagine it as a token of my love." Ward scanned the room. On his watched, a blueprint of the room and bathroom appeared with highlighted spots where the various bugs were. They gathered all three of them together and placed them on the table. Ward pressed a button on his watch. "That should disable it for about 15 minutes."

Skye opened up her purse and pulled out her phone and a connection cord. She plugged one end into her phone, and another end into one of the bugs. "Short range, only accessible through retrievement. I say, you destroy the other two, we put our voices into my phone, and reprogram the bug to replicate random conversation."

Ward's eyebrows furrowed. "Why don't we destroy all three?"

If we get rid of all three, they'll know for sure that we're here. If we jam it with something else it'll confuse them," Skye reasoned.

"Okay, fine. How do we do that?"

"It's already done."

Ward gave her a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that I've already put both of our voices into my phone, and this program I made has already produced an audio file with random increments of time and movements." She pressed the volume on her phone.

_"Are you almost unpacked?"_ fake Ward asked.

_"Almost honey,"_ fake Skye responded.

_"Okay, I'm going to take a shower and then we should head down to the casino."_

_"Sounds good, sweetheart."_

Skye shut it off and turned towards Ward. "They could come back at one, and not go to sleep until three. I don't actually know."

Ward nodded slowly. "Okay, I trust you," he told her hesitantly.

"Good. As you should. How much time is left before the jamming signal wears off?"

Ward looked at his watch. "About five minutes."

"That should give me enough time to finish downloading the file."

There was a knock on the door. Ward suddenly pulled a gun from his underarm holster. It was well hidden underneath his suit jacket.

Skye laughed really loudly. "Oh honey relax! It's probably just our luggage."

Regardless, Ward approached the door, gun in hand. He peered through the peephole in the door. In one motion, he flicked the gun's safety back on and slid it into his waistband. He opened the door and accepted their bags from the bagboy.

It would be a lie to say that Skye didn't take this time to enjoy the view.

After tipping the bagboy, Ward pulled the bags inside and locked the door. He sighed really loudly before shedding his coat, and then his holster. Ward put Skye's bag on the table in front of her and his on the bag on the bed. He moved to the far side of the room and shut the curtains and the sunshades. By the time he had turned around, Skye's laptop had made its way to the desk in front of her.

"Really, Skye?"

"My phone's processor is no where as fast as my laptop's," she replied curtly.

Ward surveyed the room awkwardly. He felt out of place. Here he was, in a room with the woman he once loved, betrayed, and was shot by, four times. Nothing was adding up. Was this Coulson's way of punishing him? Especially after all Ward had done to make up for it?

He had just gotten closure after Skye shot him. It was too early from them to be trapped in a room together. She had been so cold to him, especially after he had tried to help her. Rejection was one thing, but betrayal was another. Skye had made it clear that she didn't want help from a traitor, but his situation...it was definitely different. Like his chest, Ward had healed, and being near Skye so soon was like reopening all of his wounds, except that it hurt worse the second time around.

Skye slammed her laptop shut, jarring Ward from his thoughts. "All done. So now what?" she asked, crossing her arms on top of the laptop.

He looked around. There was a bed, a couch, a chair or two, and a dining set. Around the corner was a kitchen nook and a bedroom.

"Usually we'd wait for further instruction from a superior officer, but this new SHIELD seems pretty unorthodox. We know what needs to be accomplished, so I suppose it doesn't really matter what we do next."

"Okay, so what would you do next?"

"I would start off with some recon. We need to know our way around this place good, and fast. Then we can fortify this hotel room as a base, and you can do your little tech-y thing with the names Coulson gave us. We'll make a move, if we make a move, tomorrow."

Skye nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Where do you want to go first, Mr. Johnson?"

"I don't know Mrs. Johnson," Ward replied, pulling his gun out of his waistband and sticking it on the table. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

* * *

The first thing that the pair did, after their walk, of course, was find the gym. They walked down, side by side, scanning the area for bugs and taking mental notes of structure as they went. They smiled politely at everyone they passed and re-greeted those that greeted them. Gym bags hung from both of their shoulders, gently nudging one another during their travels.

Skye and Ward found themselves in the lobby of the hotel, cutely following the signs to where the gym was.

Ward wrapped his arm around her shoulders, his large form over taking her small one. He leaned in close to her, making it look like he was kissing her hair. Instead of whispering words of love, he whispered his plan, which could have been the same thing.

"What are you going to do for a workout?" he asked her.

Skye paused. "Probably four miles on the treadmill."

Grant nodded, his hand leaving her shoulder and searching for the small of her back. Skye tensed up. "You can't work yourself too hard," he told her, winking. Quieter he said, "if you do too much, they'll either find you or you'll be too tired to properly defend yourself, or both."

Skye nodded. "I know honey. This isn't my first rodeo."

Ward chuckled and pushed open the doors to the gym together.

* * *

**AHHHHH okay I'm really worried for tonight's episode! Its gonna be crazzzyyyyy! I love seeing the team all back together...it makes my heart happy :) What were/are you guys' thoughts?**

**Anyways, please please please remember to review, or follow, or favorite this story! A big thanks to _Shadowwolf2734_, _annavale23_, _AOSshipper_, _RosexDoctorForever_,** _**Guest**,_ **and _kookieznkream_**** for reviewing! You guys ROCK!**

**Have a great week!**


	14. When We're Together II

**Hey guys! I'm back, and yes, I saw age of ultron. A big thanks to Brenda(guest), Reecse42, and annavale23 for reviewing! kookieznkream also reviewed, but I wanted to apologize, this chapter isn't very fight-y more emotion-y lol You'll get a ***hopefully*** good fight next week :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"And so after we went to the gym, we scoped out the casino and the other floors," Skye told May. "The casino is thankfully well guarded, but the rooms were kind of shady. Our bad guys are camped out across the courtyard and up a floor. I ran a undetected scan on the room and found that they had a couple of telescopes, regular and infrared. I think they've got something else, maybe like a vibration detector? I'm not sure, but as soon as I use my powers, they'll find me."

May nodded thoughtfully on the screen of her tablet. "Yeah, Coulson will continue to get an earful from me about this mission. I'm pissed he even thought this was a good idea."

"Yeah, me too. I understand that it's for the good of the organization, but I really didn't see myself sleeping in the same bed as my ex-captor at all."

"Hey," he lightly protested. "If we don't, they'll see us and our cover is blown." He was referring to the infrared scope in the other room. If the newlyweds weren't in bed together, it would be obvious that there was something wrong.

"The last time we hung out, I shot you three times for being a traitor. Excuse me if this situation is uncomfortable," Skye snapped.

Ward paused. "Well maybe we should talk about this," he told her a matter- of-fact-ly. He had sat down on the bed and kicked his feet up beside hers.

Skye tensed up and half scooted away. "I'll talk to you in the morning, May."

May nodded. "Be safe. And Agent Ward, I swear if we have any problems, I'll do a lot worse than breaking your larynx." They both signed off and Skye put her tablet on the nightstand beside her.

Skye sighed and turned to Ward. She sat up in the crisscross applesauce position and put her hands in her lap. "What is there to talk about?"

"Well, what are you feeling? What did you feel?" he asked her. Skye stayed silent. "Probably upset. Definitely hurt. Betrayed."

When he said the word 'betrayed', something in Skye's eyes lit up. "Yes, actually, all of those things."

"Okay, well if I'm feeling the same way, why can't we communicate properly?"

Skye shrugged. "Let's try. Why do you seem so okay with all of this?"

Ward avoided her gaze by looking to the bed underneath his feet. "After SHIELD fell, I knew that you guys would hate me and never want to see me to talk to me ever again. When I was in custody, that was more than obvious, and when I was feeling the lowest I made my worst mistake." He paused. "I allowed myself to begin to think that maybe you guys were healing, and you'd want me to rejoin the team. After Coulson so nicely handed me over to my abuser, I took a hit, discovering that my dream scenario was not the case. But instead of letting go, I held onto the feelings I had for you, hoping and praying that what we had before the fall was still special to both of us. Maybe you still liked me, or maybe you were doubted the whole thing. After you shot me, I might have died. The emotional wound I sustained was far greater than any feeling I had ever experienced in my entire life. The healing process helped me, and for it I am a better person. Still a shitty person, but better."

"How?"

"Kara," Ward sighed. "She was lost, like me. When we came out of San Juan, I had a lot of problems, but the problem Kara had wasn't one I did. I had known her problem, hell, even loved her problem. If I couldn't find the strength to save myself, I could at least tried to fix her. She was my project for a while, and then something more."

Skye interrupted. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

"Because you asked," Ward told her. "Because about a month after San Juan, I realized that what I was feeling was what the team felt when I betrayed them. The anguish and the hurt was unbearable, and I couldn't begin to think about what I had caused everyone else. But I picked myself up and called it even. A shot for Hand, a shot for Koeing, a shot for my team, and one for my own stupidity. I probably deserved more, but it was what I needed for the universe to change me."

Skye nodded slowly. "Wait, I thought I only shot you three times."

"No, it was four." And to prove it, Ward lifted up the right side of his shirt and leaned his body towards Skye's so that she could more easily see it.

Skye nodded again. "Well when you say it like that, I almost feel bad." Skye thought back to the day she had shot him. The adrenaline had tore through her veins as she stepped over a dying Ward. She had expected to feel satisfied and complete, but it had only left her with more questions. "I read your letters," she had also told him. Skye shivered. If they were putting everything on the table, the conversation was about to get messy.

* * *

May stormed into Coulson's office on the Bus, and with her came an actual storm. The sound of rain hitting the Bus's roof filled the cabin. "I can't believe you!" she told him. "Sending Skye on a mission a day after being released from the infirmary and a day after bringing Ward back in! I just Skyped Skye and they are not fine."

Coulson stood up and looked May right in the eyes. "I know what she's capable of, and I know she can handle this."

"I know she can handle this, Phil, but I'm worried." May's voice softened.

Coulson's voice did the same. "I think they'll be fine. My intention was to force them to have to talk and work together so that Skye can act as a bridge from Ward to the rest of the team. We need all the help we can get, Melinda, and he's not going to want to help us if everyone treats him poorly."

May's jaw dropped. "Out of everything that's happening, you're most concerned about Ward wanting to stay? He's been so shitty to us, Phil. Nothing good has come of his presence."

"We've been shitty to him too. And besides, he and Kara have taken about half of HYDRA."

"Don't say that," May said. "I understand your decision, but I think you should have waited a week. It's too early for them to be sleeping in the same bed together, or even pretending to be friends. You, of all people, know how hard undercover missions are. They might not even trust each other when this is said and done."

Coulson crossed his arms. "I understand that, but I weighed our options and this was the best one. There is no way we could have waited a week."

"Why not? What kind of supplier is this anyways?"

The director sighed and began to move back behind his desk. "It's a food supplier. SHIELD did a favor for them a while back, so they discount all do their food for us. I figured the faster we help them solve the problem, the more likely we'll have dinner next week."

May glared one last time. She was unsatisfied, but said nothing. Something was up.

* * *

"You shouldn't," Ward told Skye after a brief pause in conversation, "feel bad, I mean. It was exactly what you were supposed to do. I even trained you to do that. We're even."

Skye still felt a little guilty, but not for shooting Ward. "That's not what I have a problem with." Ward gave Skye a quizzical look. Obviously he didn't really understand that Skye had changed. "It's what I said afterwards that makes me feel bad."

Ward's expression darkened. He remembered. "Did you read the newer letters too?"

Skye nodded, unable to meet his eyes. "I did."

They sat in awkward silence. It probably wasn't the smartest thing to bring up, especially so soon. Skye couldn't tell if Ward was mad at her, so she turned away from her and felt herself begin to parallel him on the bed.

Ward spoke up first. "They were such a bad idea. I was in love, like some kind of hopeless romantic. I pretended that you'd read them, and then that you'd love me again. I was delusional, and the second batch was not as good as the first, which was definitely embarrassing. This is like talking about an old yearbook picture," he laughed. "Its embarrassing."

Skye chuckled. "Really?" She turned to the bedside table and retrieved her tablet. "Do you want to take a stroll down memory lane?"

Ward's eyes widened and he held his hands up. "Oh, no. Everything I needed to say about those was said. Do you want to keep talking though?"

"Sure, Doctor Ward. You've been awfully deep tonight. If you weren't an assassin, would you be a psychologist?"

He rolled his eyes and continued. "I think that the best way to end this conversation, is to start from the beginning of your story. I've shared my half, but what did you do? What did you feel? Who did you tell?"

There was silence as Sky began to fill in her side. "I found the letters the day after you escaped. I didn't read them until they all applied, just like you had asked. At first I was annoyed. Like, who does Ward think he is? As time continued, a bit before and after San Juan I felt kind of flattered. I think in San Juan I knew that you were trying to help, but I couldn't trust myself to trust you. Or, you know, trust you after you kidnapped me again and appeared with HYDRA. After San Juan, I began to think that maybe you weren't a liar, or a traitor, but I shut those thoughts down. You were dead, and I never felt bad about shooting you."

Ward's eyes met hers. "I never lied to you."

"Well, you were HYDRA."

Ward said nothing, his eyes returning to his lap.

"After San Juan, I returned to training. I strengthened my mind and my emotional state. I even learned to control my ability."

"What's your ability?"

"I can tap into the vibrations of objects around me." Skye sighed, not really willing to elaborate. She had told the story too many times to count, and received a wide range of reactions. Even more so, everyone wanted to know how her powers worked, which always annoyed Skye because she, herself, had not yet figured everything out.

Ward nodded. "That's huge. Sounds cool." He was impressed.

"Yeah well, I can be a burden." Skye didn't mean to sound bitter, her powers could be a blessing too, but her tone was harsh.

The pair sat in silence, yet again.

Ward spoke up first. "When I wrote the letters, I loved you, and I thought that you might still love me back."

"I know," she told him softly. "Why did you write them?"

"I wanted to tell you everything I couldn't say in captivity. It wasn't the time. Have we said all we want to say?"

Skye sighed, and as she exhaled her body slouched as well. She was wearing a tee shirt and shorts, while Grant wore the same on the opposite side of the bed. Ward scooched himself closer to her and wrapped his arm around her. Skye tensed up, but after remembering the mission, she obliged and allowed herself to snuggle up to Ward.

"I'm mad at you," she told him. "I had so much I wanted to say to you, and then your deep level headed talk made me forget, like ninety percent of it."

Ward chuckled. "We can always continue this conversation later. I'm sure I'll do something stupid to make you hate me again."

"Yeah, Skye responded. "I'd like that."

Ward leaned over, and with one swift movement, shut off the lamp. The room was dark and quiet, and for once, the atmosphere was calm.

* * *

**Thank you for reading! Please remember to review, and follow and favorite! I feel like this was a good chapter, but it was a tad bit repetitive. **

**Did you guys see AoU? I thought it was REALLY good and really funny! Obviously, there was some let down with a certain ship but um... hey I thought it was pretty stellar otherwise. your thoughts?**

**Also, tonight's episode was craZY. Theres a lot of miscommunication going on, and I'm really worried. **

**Have a nice week!xxx**


End file.
